Gal Gadot is facing a fresh wave of online backlash after defending the use of artificial intelligence in her upcoming movie Bitcoin, telling fellow actors they will have to learn to work with the technology or risk being “out of the game completely.” Because of her latest sentiments towards AI, the California-based actress has drawn no shortage of harsh criticism online.
The Wonder Woman star addressed the controversial production during an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast late in August, where she acknowledged that she is personally “afraid of AI” but argued that Hollywood’s rapid embrace of the technology cannot simply be ignored.
“The train has left the station,” Gadot said. “You’re going to work with it or be out of the game completely.” Her comments quickly attracted attention online, particularly because Bitcoin, directed by Doug Liman, uses AI to generate elements of its sets and lighting. The movie reportedly filmed its actors in a largely bare-bones space, allowing artificial intelligence to create the production environment later.
Gadot stressed that her own performance was protected. She said her lawyers spent six months negotiating her contract because she “absolutely did not want the AI to have anything to do with” her performance. “As far as the performances, it’s all me,” Gadot said, adding that the safeguards were significant enough that SAG representatives contacted her legal team for pointers on protecting other performers.
The anti-AI sentiment remains strong in Hollywood
Gadot’s explanation, sadly, did little to quiet critics. Some social media users mocked Gadot’s embrace of the technology, with one commenter quipping, “I often wonder if Gal Gadot is AI.” Another took a much sharper political jab, writing, “AI was promised to her 3000 years ago.”
Other commenters were even more skeptical. “Just the spokesperson AI needed!” one person wrote, while another asked sarcastically, “Can AI make her a better actor?” A separate commenter joked, “Do we have definitive proof that she hasn’t been AI all along?”
Not everyone was outright hostile toward Gadot’s position. One commenter argued that she is “one of the few actors that would actually benefit from AI being used to enhance her performances.” Gadot maintains that the technology did not eliminate the human element of Bitcoin. She said the production still employed a “broad crew” and that the stripped-down filming process allowed actors to perform continuously without waiting for traditional lighting setups.
The AI controversy is also landing at a time when Gadot has already faced intense scrutiny over her public views. The Israeli-born actress has repeatedly drawn backlash for her outspoken support of Israel, including during the 2021 Israel-Palestine conflict and following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Her political stance became particularly visible during the 2025 release of Snow White, when her support for Israel clashed with co-star Rachel Zegler’s outspoken support for Palestinians.
