The last time Hollywood faced a technological shift this significant, it was the transition from practical effects to CGI in the 1990s. That transition took a decade and sparked arguments about authenticity that never fully resolved. The AI transition is happening faster — and the arguments it's provoking are sharper, more urgent, and touching something more fundamental.
What AI Is Actually Doing on Film Sets Right Now
The most widespread uses are in post-production: AI-assisted de-ageing, AI-generated background extras, and AI tools in sound design that can isolate and clean dialogue captured in imperfect conditions. None of this has replaced a single director, writer, or lead actor. What it has done is compress the timeline and reduce the cost of certain categories of production work.
The Arguments For
- ·Lower production costs could mean more films get made, including riskier independent work.
- ·De-ageing and performance capture allow actors to work in ways previously impossible.
- ·AI-assisted tools are democratising access to production-quality effects for smaller studios.
- ·Post-production timelines can be compressed without sacrificing quality on specific tasks.
The Arguments Against
- ·AI tools trained on existing content raise unresolved questions about intellectual property and consent.
- ·Compression of post-production work reduces employment for mid-level VFX and editing professionals.
- ·Studio cost savings have historically not translated to better films or better pay for below-the-line workers.
- ·The aesthetic homogenisation risk is real — AI generates toward the median, not toward the exceptional.
“The question isn't whether AI can make a film. It's whether AI can make a film anyone cares about.”
— Anonymous VFX Supervisor, speaking off the record
Bottom Line
AI is already reshaping blockbusters. Whether that reshaping is good or bad depends entirely on who is holding the tool and what they're trying to make.
