Jodie Foster has suggested that Brad Pitt’s racing film F1 felt as though it had been “made by AI”, as she discussed the growing influence of artificial intelligence on the film industry during a panel at the Aspen Festival of Ideas.

Foster made the remarks during a discussion titled Who Owns the Future of Hollywood with former Sony Pictures chief executive Michael Lynton, where the pair examined how emerging technologies are reshaping filmmaking.

“I don’t say this disparagingly — how could I? This movie went on to make millions of dollars. But I look at a movie like ‘F1’ and I’m like, ‘F1’ was made by AI,” Foster said. “Wasn’t it? I mean, the structure was exactly the structure that you would learn in school. 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. And they were able to dominate the technology to make something big and beautiful and potentially where a lot of the information comes from other places.”

The discussion focused on artificial intelligence and its potential impact on the entertainment industry. Asked whether AI could replace creative professionals, Foster acknowledged that technological advances have already changed how films are made.

“We do replace people,” she said, pointing to the increasing use of digital technology to replicate background performers.

She added that unions should ensure actors are fairly compensated when their likeness is used multiple times, saying, “You can use my actor 20 times, but you’re going to pay him 20 times. And I think that’s fair.”

Foster also highlighted positive uses for AI, including pre-visualisation and creative experimentation. Referring to AI-assisted sequences in her latest film, My Private Life, she 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.”