Actor and director Maggie Gyllenhaal has revealed that an artificial intelligence recreation of Marilyn Monroe was scrapped from her short film "Flesh Impact" after it failed to match the emotional impact of Dakota Johnson's live-action performance. Speaking at a Venice Film Festival creativity summit, Gyllenhaal said producers had asked her to use licensable AI, trained on licensed Monroe footage, to overlay the star's face onto Johnson's. She ultimately discarded the AI version, saying it lacked the humanity and authenticity that Johnson's own portrayal delivered.

The 17-minute film, made with the blessing of Monroe's estate holder Authentic Brands Group, stars Johnson as Monroe in her prime and Ellen Burstyn as an imagined older version of the star, alongside Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi; it premieres at Venice on 7 September. Gyllenhaal also voiced broader concerns about AI's promise to "democratise" filmmaking by slashing budgets, warning that such technology mainly benefits the companies pitching it and could eventually undercut traditional, more expensive productions altogether. Her remarks add to a string of high-profile comments she has made at this year's festival, having earlier questioned the scarcity of female directors in the main competition.