"Everyone's lying just a little bit." That's Janice Min, former editor of The Hollywood Reporter and CEO of Ankler Media, making a bombshell claim: Hollywood is systematically deceiving the public about how much AI it's using.
In an interview with Business Insider, Min identified three types of AI deception currently plaguing the industry. Studios understate how much AI they're deploying in production. Tech companies overstate what their AI products can actually accomplish. And creatives publicly distance themselves from AI tools while privately relying on them constantly.
"I dare you to find a screenwriter" not using ChatGPT or Claude simultaneously, Min claimed. The most striking allegation: "Every single best picture nominee this year has used AI" in some capacity, but the Academy operates on a "don't ask, don't tell policy."
The only reason we know about The Brutalist's AI-enhanced accents is because director Brady Corbet publicly acknowledged it. Min views this as exceptional only in its transparency—the implication being that everyone else is doing similar work and staying quiet.
There's nuance here worth acknowledging: "AI" encompasses tools predating ChatGPT, including non-generative technologies used in VFX for years. Not all AI usage is ethically equivalent. But the core allegation—that studios are concealing the extent of their AI reliance—deserves scrutiny.
Why lie? Because audiences are skeptical, creatives are hostile, and awards bodies haven't figured out where to draw lines. Easier to use the tools quietly than defend them publicly. But that's not sustainable. Eventually, someone will get caught, and the backlash will be brutal.
Hollywood has a long history of resisting new technology (sound, color, CGI) before embracing it entirely. The difference this time: AI directly threatens the livelihoods of writers, actors, and artists who make the actual content. You can't spin that away.
