The Brutalist AI Backlash Was Spurred by Oscar Nominees

Legendary horror director David Cronenberg has his own thoughts as to why the backlash against the use of AI in “The Brutalist” was so strong.

Back in January, “The Brutalist” editor Dávid Jancsó said AI tools were used to improve the Hungarian dialogue of stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. The use of the controversial tech soon caused an online outcry against the Oscar front-runner, but Cronenberg believes the backlash was more than just a social media spat.

“I must confess, there was a scandal [with] ‘The Brutalist’,” Cronenberg said at London’s Royal Festival Hall (via The Hollywood Reporter). “There was a discussion about Adrien Brody… but apparently they used artificial intelligence to improve his accent. I think it was a campaign against ‘The Brutalist’ by some other Oscar nominees. It’s very much a Harvey Weinstein kind of thing, though he wasn’t around.”

He continued, “We mess with actors’ voices all the time. In the case of [John Lone in ‘M.Butterfly’], when he was being this character, this singer, I raised the pitch of his voice and when he’s revealed as a man, I lowered to his natural voice. This is just a part of moviemaking.”

Cronenberg’s thoughts on Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour epic was part of a larger conversation with longtime collaborator Howard Shore. Together, the pair have worked on “A History of Violence,” “Crash,” “They Fly,” “Videodrome,” “eXistenZ,” “Naked Luch” and more.

Despite the backlash, “The Brutalist” went on to pick up three wins at the 2025 Academy Awards, taking home the prizes for best actor, best original score and best cinematography.