Will artificial intelligence replace actors and actresses? For Tom Hanks, it is inevitable if nothing is done to protect it legally.
Tom Hanks, starring in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City on June 21, spoke about the controversial subject of artificial intelligence at the microphone of the adam buxton podcast.
The least we can say is that the 66-year-old actor has a rather fatalistic opinion on the matter. For the interpreter of Forrest Gump, if an actor was replaced by an AI in a film, “People would certainly realize that, but the question is whether they wouldn’t care or not“, he wonders.
“I could be hit by a bus tomorrow but my interpretations could continue without ever stopping”adds the artist.
“If I wanted to, I could prepare a saga of seven films that would put me in the lead role, where I would be 32 years old from this day and forever. Anyone can create themselves at any time. how old thanks to AI or deepfake”emphasizes Tom Hanks.
According to the actor, the development of artificial intelligence is far from a surprise. To support his argument, Tom Hanks evokes his participation in Robert Zemeckis’ feature film, The Polar Express, in 2004. He embodied a character entirely animated with motion capture technology.
We saw that coming, we saw that there was going to be this ability to take zeros and ones inside a computer and turn them into a face and a character.
“This film contained a huge amount of our own data locked away in a computer”explains the actor. “We saw that coming, we saw that there was going to be this ability to take zeros and ones inside a computer and turn them into a face and a character. It only grew. a billion times since”analyzes the actor.
Tom Hanks also confides that concern is growing within the artistic community, which is trying to protect itself legally from the use of their image in AIs.
“I can tell you that there are discussions going on in all the guilds, agencies and law firms to find legal material regarding my face, my voice and everything that is part of my intellectual property. With this realistic degree of quality, it will become an artistic challenge but also a legal challenge”he explains.
We remember in particular the ultra realistic deep fake of Tom Cruise which had made the buzz on social networks or digital rejuvenations, which are becoming more and more commonplace in the cinema.
Researchers at Disney are currently developing revolutionary new methods to age or rejuvenate faces in an ultra-realistic way, as can be seen in the video above.
I can tell you that there are ongoing discussions in all the guilds, agencies and law firms to find legal material regarding my face, my voice and everything that is part of my intellectual property.
In France, it is especially the world of dubbing which fears the massive rise of artificial intelligences which can recreate the voices of actors and actresses. The point raised by Tom Hanks on the protection of intellectual property is therefore crucial. In the meantime, the artist will indeed be physically present in Asteroid City by Wes Anderson, in theaters on June 21.