Director Eli Roth has admitted that generative AI was used in his new slasher film "Ice Cream Man", after initially telling an interviewer that its animated sequences were created traditionally. The clarification followed scrutiny of the film's credits, which list Dark Half, an AI visual effects company, prompting Roth to walk back his earlier account. The episode adds to a wider debate in Hollywood over transparency around AI use in filmmaking, as studios and directors face growing pressure to disclose when the technology is involved in productions.

Roth had told Polygon he personally drew the frames for a Fleischer Studios-style animated sequence, in which children are entranced and turned into killers, describing the hand-drawn process in detail. After it emerged that Dark Half was credited on the film, Roth issued a follow-up statement saying he had "misspoke" and that AI was used in "a very small portion of a few scenes," without clarifying whether this referred specifically to the animated sequence. Deadline has contacted his representative for further comment. "Ice Cream Man" is set for release on 7 August 2026.