There’s no denying the Russo Brothers’ new Netflix film The Electric State has been the talk of the town since it debuted on Friday — and with the industry’s climate the way it is, fans have certainly been discussing its use of AI.
That said, Joe Russo, who alongside his brother Anthony directed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, has defended the use of AI for voice modulation in The Electric State, claiming it was “something any 10-year-old could do after watching a TikTok video.”
“There’s a lot of finger-pointing and hyperbole because people are afraid,” Joe Russo insisted in an interview with The Times. “They don’t understand. But ultimately you’ll see AI used more significantly.”
The filmmaker added that he sees potential in the technology. “Also, AI is in its generative state now, where it has, as we call them, hallucinations. You can’t do mission-critical work with something that hallucinates,” Russo said. “That is a reason self-driving cars haven’t taken over, or why AI surgery is not taking place worldwide. But in its generative state, AI is best suited towards creativity.”
While many artists across a whole host of disciplines feel AI is actually the antithesis of creativity, it seems as though some of the studios are excited to use the tech when it’s ready to be implemented. Back in July 2024, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claimed that audiences “don’t care” if AI is used in the film and television programming they watch. Sarandos doubled down and asserted that the tech is “a great way for creators to tell better stories.”
“Animation didn’t get cheaper, it got better in the move from hand-drawn to CG animation, and more people work in animation today than ever in history,” Sarandos said on the call. “So I’m pretty sure there’s a better business and a bigger business in making content 10% better than there is in making it 50% cheaper.”
Rank the films of Millie Bobby Brown
Rank the films of Millie Bobby Brown
For what it’s worth, not everyone seems to be embracing AI right off the bat. Last month, Marvel denied using AI to create teaser posters for the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, despite one of the people in the imagery sporting a four-fingered hand.
The Electric State was directed and produced by Anthony and Joe Russo from a script by Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, which was loosely adapted from a 2018 illustrated novel by Simon Stalenhag. The movie stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Woody Harrelson, Jason Alexander, Anthony Mackie, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, Brian Cox, and Stanley Tucci.
IGN’s The Electric State review returned a 4/10. We said: “Marvel’s biggest hitmakers join forces again with the Netflix algorithm to deliver The Electric State, a $300-million anti-event movie.”
The Russo Brothers are down to direct the next two Avengers movies for Marvel Studios: 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
