Actress Gal Gadot backed the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about her work on the film Bitcoin. Her position highlights the industry’s effort to use AI as a production tool while protecting actors’ control over their likenesses and performances.

Gadot said the development of AI could no longer be ignored, comparing it to “a train that has already left the station.” People in the film industry will have to learn to work with the technology or risk being excluded from the market, she said.

“You either work with it, or you’re completely out of the game,” Gadot said.

However, Gadot said she did not support uncontrolled use of AI. The technology was used in Bitcoin to create sets and lighting, while the acting remained entirely human, she said.

Gadot separately insisted that AI not be used to alter or reproduce her performance. Negotiations over those protections took about six months, resulting in what she described as the longest contract of her career.

Her lawyers sought to anticipate different scenarios for the use of AI and establish legal limits on how the technology could be applied to her likeness. According to Gadot, representatives of the SAG actors’ union contacted her lawyers for recommendations that could help update contractual protections for other performers.

Gadot’s position draws a distinction between using AI for production work and applying it to an actor’s appearance or performance. She said the technology could serve as a filmmaking tool as long as actors retained control over both.

AI production for Bitcoin

The thriller Bitcoin, previously known as Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi, has an estimated budget of $70 million. Doug Liman, known for The Bourne Identity, directed the film.

The cast also includes Casey Affleck, Pete Davidson and Isla Fisher. The plot centers on a search for the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of bitcoin.

The story unfolds across roughly 200 locations worldwide, although the cast did not travel to those locations for filming. Most footage was shot indoors at a former car dealership using gray screens, with AI generating the sets and lighting after filming, Decrypt reported.

Producer Ryan Kavanaugh claims that making a comparable project through traditional production methods could have cost more than $300 million. He said the approach used for Bitcoin reduced expenses by more than $200 million.

Source: Incrypted