The actress praised the film’s technical achievements while questioning whether the film’s story seemed overly algorithmic. Image credit (X)
Jodie Foster has suggested that Brad Pitt’s racing film “F1” exemplifies how artificial intelligence can impact modern filmmaking and reshape creative storytelling in Hollywood.
The actress made the comments during a panel discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival this week, where she discussed the evolving landscape of the entertainment industry alongside former studio executive Michael Lynton.During a talk Tuesday titled “Who Owns the Future of Hollywood,” Foster suggested that the film’s structure and execution suggest it could have been created by artificial intelligence.
“I don’t say this lightly, how could I? This movie made millions of dollars. But I look at a movie like F1 and I think F1 was produced by artificial intelligence,” she said, laughing at the Colorado event. “Right? I mean the structure was exactly the structure you would learn in school.
The actors say the lines exactly the way they would be written if the computer were writing exactly what would be the right thing at the time.
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Foster argued that the film’s structure and dialogue follow a familiar formula often taught in screenwriting classes. Image credit (Instagram)
Foster acknowledged the film’s artistic achievements while continuing her criticism. “They were able to control the technology to produce something that was big and beautiful and a lot of information would likely come from other places,” she noted, noting that although the film was commercially and technically successful, it followed a specific approach that could have been produced through algorithmic processes.
The film achieved commercial and critical success
Although Foster described the film as an AI-generated “F1” film, it was a major commercial success, grossing $634 million worldwide by genre. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning in the Sound category, demonstrating that audiences and industry voters responded positively to the project regardless of its traditional structure.
Jodie Foster’s broader perspective on artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry
When Linton asked Foster about her thoughts on the broader impacts of AI on society and the film industry, she contextualized AI as part of a larger pattern of technological change.
“AI is another giant step forward in changing the industry,” Foster said after detailing the transformations brought about by CGI and digital technology over the previous decades.The conversation turned to more pressing concerns about employment in the entertainment sector. “The big question is: Will it replace the actors and writers?” Linton asked. Foster acknowledged that job displacement does occur through technological progress.
“We replace people,” she replied, explaining how studios save money on crowd scenes by duplicating background actors through digital means.
“We’re getting rid of a lot of jobs and hopefully things like unions will come along and say, ‘You can use my actor 20 times, but you’re going to pay him 20 times.’ And I think that’s fair.”
Jodie Foster’s vision Responsible use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking
Rather than rejecting AI entirely, Foster articulates a nuanced stance on how filmmakers approach the technology.
It identified specific applications where AI tools could be useful. “What we all love is for filmmakers to be able to control AI and never lose sight of that,” she said, stressing the importance of maintaining creative control over technological tools.As for “useful little things” like pre-visualizing movie scenes before production, Foster acknowledged that AI tools can serve a useful purpose in the filmmaking process.
She provided an example from her recent work to illustrate how AI can be used effectively. “If we can control AI consistently over time, we will be able to make things that reflect us and we can make things better,” she said.Foster pointed to a dream-like sequence in her latest film, “My Private Life,” that used the help of artificial intelligence. She described the images as meaningless, but they ultimately succeeded in achieving the desired effect. The example demonstrated her belief that when filmmakers retain artistic control over AI applications, the technology can deliver results that work for the artistic vision rather than against it.
