Jodie Foster said she believes the Oscar-winning film “F1,” directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, was made with AI—pointing to its structure and scripted lines—while acknowledging the technology’s impact on jobs and insisting uni
Jodie Foster didn’t mince words at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
During an appearance at the event’s “Who Owns the Future of Hollywood” discussion, the Hollywood veteran floated a theory that the movie “F1” was made with artificial intelligence. Her certainty came through in a single, pointed question: “F1 was made by AI. Wasn’t it?”
Foster said she wasn’t disparaging the film. “This movie went on to make millions of dollars. ” she added. referring to Joseph Kosinski-directed “F1. ” which stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. But she argued that the movie’s construction looks like something engineered for maximum correctness—suggesting the writing and delivery mirror what a computer would produce.
She pointed to the film’s structure. saying it followed the kind of layout you’d “learn in school.” She also described what she saw as precision in the performances: the actors “say the lines exactly the way it would be written if a computer was writing exactly what would be the right thing for that time.”.
Foster then connected that style to what the production achieved at scale, adding that the team was able to “dominate the technology to make something big and beautiful,” while also creating a film where “a lot of the information comes from other places.”
Her comments landed as “F1” continues to sit among last year’s awards standouts. The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound, while also earning nominations for Best Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. It also topped $634 million at the global box office.
Even as Foster expressed doubt about how the movie was made, she insisted she wasn’t attacking AI itself—or dismissing the potential it might bring. She did, however, acknowledge the real anxiety Hollywood workers face as the technology advances, including job loss.
Then she offered a path forward grounded in labor protections. “Hopefully. things like unions will be able to come in and say. you can use my actor 20 times. but you’re going to pay him 20 times. ” Foster said. “And I think that’s fair. I think that if we can come up with a way of saying we will participate with technology as long as we still have the dignity of the craft that we make. right?”.
Foster also revealed that she isn’t operating from a purely theoretical stance. She admitted her 2025 film “A Private Life,” directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, used AI for a dream sequence.
“What we all would love is that filmmakers would be able to dominate AI, and never lose sight of that,” Foster said. “If we are able to dominate AI consistently over time, we will be able to make things that reflect us, and we can make things better.”
In the days leading up to Foster’s remarks, Hollywood’s divide over artificial intelligence has remained sharp. Weird Al Yankovic said he refused to become the “the poster boy” for AI. despite being offered “a nice pile of money.” Scarlett Johansson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have also spoken out against the technology and called for stronger protections. Others. though. have leaned the other way—Reese Witherspoon encouraged women to learn AI tools. and Sandra Bullock said it was time to “lean into” the technology.
Representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jodie Foster F1 movie AI in film Joseph Kosinski Brad Pitt Damson Idris Aspen Ideas Festival Who Owns the Future of Hollywood A Private Life Rebecca Zlotowski