Did AI brutalize the Oscars?

The 2025 Oscars saw Anora sweep major categories, as AI's role in The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez ignited discussions on authenticity in filmmaking.

Anora was the big winner at the Academy Awards 2025, with five wins. Filmed on a relatively low budget of $6 million, it seems like the organic indie-movie approach has resonated well with Hollywood this year.

And with AI potentially brutalizing (or stripping away) authentic storytelling methods – where filmmakers lose credibility with fans and the actors – there’s a fear that Hollywood may have lost its magic touch.

The contrast is clear: Anora presents raw, high-octane, organic filmmaking, whereas films like The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez had AI enhance their credentials.

When asked if independent-style films like Anora would become less common in an AI-driven industry, acting coach Linda Ann Watt, a member of SAG-AFTRA (actors union), told Cybernews:

“No, I don’t think films like Anora will become less common. I enjoyed Anora and I think it won best picture because of its actors’ charm and wonderfully written script which includes real emotion and humor. Anora didn’t need AI. The film takes place in a contemporary setting and it is character-driven with simple storytelling.”

The way Anora won is very much like how Parasite won 2019.

It won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay because of the filmmaker's remarkable ability to juggle tone, going from extremely funny to crushingly sad. The Editing win speaks to this too (Parasite was nominated).

undefined kevin l. lee (@Klee_FilmReview) March 3, 2025

Prior to the Oscars, it seemed that Hollywood was shunning the conversation about accepting or rejecting AI.

When Deadline Hollywood asked actor Felicity Jones at the ceremony about “the AI factor” regarding the optimization of Hungarian accents for The Brutalist, she expectantly swerved the question and proclaimed that the amount of work that went into the film from all involved was “truly monumental.”

Rather than being actively debated this time, it seems that AI has already laid the groundwork for future years in the industry.

When AI hits a sour note

The “Best Original Song” category was won by Emilia Pérez – and that’s the main scandal doing the rounds on social media.

you cannot make this shit up. emilia perez used respeecher AI yet most of them still had awful accents lmao. respeecher is proud on linkedin for their work on the brutalist and emilia perez. the film industry is fucked. pic.twitter.com/kFX0n1jt6q

undefined cassius. (@timmyswift13) January 19, 2025

Upon watching the three-minute clip earlier, it seems like this song winning an Oscar is the cherry on the cake following a brutal backlash for its usage of Respeecher AI and the general brashness of the content itself.

The fact that star Karla Sofía Gascón made some Islamophobic Tweets back in 2020-21 doesn’t help its case either.

And the fact that the movie only won two Oscars from thirteen nominations, perhaps as a result of its own shortcomings, especially in its representation of the transgender community, makes it clear why Hollywood hesitated in handing it accolades.

When AI adds authenticity

Another big winner was The Brutalist, which is anything but brutal. AI's enhancement of the accents to help modulate difficult Hungarian phonetics gave the film a more authentic edge.

When it adds to the tapestry and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, it can be argued that AI brings key elements to the mix like refining some original architectural drawings with the AI program Midjourney. AI here merely enhances the finished article instead of stripping or damaging someone's credibility along the way,

When Martin Scorsese used AI 2019 in The Irishman to de-age Joe Pesci, it looked increasingly suspect. This was a legitimately ethical conversation regarding aging and potential deepfake use.

they used AI in the brutalist not only to avoid paying visual artists for their work but also to manipulate the actors’ accents, a fundamental aspect of… acting. this is a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/BmjtoeNchT

undefined lina ✨ (@onlyafortnight) January 19, 2025

While AI's role in films like Emilia Pérez introduced innovative techniques, it hasn't overshadowed traditional storytelling this year.

Looking forward, AI's influence is poised to expand, potentially transforming narrative structures and creative processes in cinema. The question remains: will this technological evolution enhance human creativity, or redefine it entirely?