Gal Gadot has a very straightforward defense for doing an AI-led film like Bitcoin. As sensitive and urgent as the topic of AI in films is, it is also so very nuanced. Both sides of this debate have compelling arguments for why it should be part of cinema and why it should not be.

While many have picked a side in this debate, some have simply accepted that, no matter what, AI has already entered the system and is here to stay. The latter group of people believe that AI can be used in films without letting it take control of every aspect of filmmaking. Gal Gadot surely belongs to this specific group.

The actress has recently defended her decision to star in the AI-led Bitcoin movie, explaining her approach to using AI in the film.

While promoting her Prime Video action film The Runner, Gal Gadot revealed her sentiments regarding AI with host Josh Horowitz in an appearance Happy Sad Confused podcast. Her upcoming role is in Doug Liman's Bitcoin, a film that has generated controversy due to its use of artificial intelligence for lighting and settings. Discussing the extensive pre-production process for the new film, Gal Gadot revealed that the project involved what she called the longest contract of her career.

The actress explained that it took her legal team six months to navigate every conceivable scenario regarding the film's artificial intelligence components.

“I am afraid of AI, but I am going to be afraid and look away? No. I am afraid but I am playing with it and learning it and trying to educate myself,” said Gadot in the podcast.

“The train has left the station. You’re going to work with it or be out of the game completely. I am trying to make the best of it and protect what I can protect,” she further added.

Gadot emphasized in the Happy Sad Confused podcast that she took strict measures to ensure AI had no involvement in her performance, noting that the safeguards were so robust that the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) reached out to her lawyers for guidance on updating union contracts to protect other performers. She confirmed that, despite the film's digital sets and lighting, every element of her actual performance remains entirely human.

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Gadot further explained what the filming process felt like to her when the setting was just a warehouse with the cast of the film. 

The cast of Bitcoin, which includes Gal Gadot opposite Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, and Casey Affleck, was filmed in a very simple setting. Gadot likened the experience to working in theater because it was really just the actors on set, as director Doug Liman shot all of the actors in what is effectively a bare-bones warehouse.

According to Ryan Kavanaugh, the film's producer, the $70 million production saved almost $200 million by utilizing AI to fill in the lighting and production design. However, it remains to be seen if the movie can survive the scathing skepticism of film purists who will not forgive any slip-up or any liberties as far as AI in films is concerned. For now, all eyes are on Gal Gadot’s The Runner that comes out on September 2, 2026.

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What do you think of Gal Gadot’s approach to a film like Bitcoin? Do let us know in the comments.