Fans are not being advised to have their teeth cleaned by Tom Hanks. The Oscar-winning actor informed his fans about an online dental plan advertisement by posting a computer-generated image of himself on Instagram on Saturday, as reported by NBC News.
Hanks has previously discussed the rise of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology in the creative industries, saying on an episode of "The Adam Buxton Podcast" that it's now possible for him to continue acting after his death.
Concerns that unregulated AI could undermine the work of creatives were one of the main grounds of contention during the US writers' strike, which concluded last week. An agreement between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television that places limitations on the use of artificial intelligence in movies and television has been accepted.
Zelda Williams, a daughter of Robin Williams, recently posted on Instagram to express her disapproval of the "disturbing" use of AI to recreate the voice of other actors who are unable to give their consent, saying that these recreations are "at best a poor facsimile of greater people, but at worst a horrifying Frankenstein's monster," according to IGN.
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AI: A Hot Topic of Discussion
During the simultaneous strikes in Hollywood this year, AI has been a hot topic of discussion in union circles representing writers and actors. Both groups have called for protections against AI technology using actors' likenesses without their permission or payment, in addition to other rules and regulations surrounding the practice.
Sag-Aftra, the union for Hollywood actors, is still on strike, thus most productions are unable to continue. A few months after the writers' strike, the actors' strike started, with wages and worries about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create unapproved likenesses of performers at the center of the conflict. There is hope that the authors' agreement will contribute to the end of the Hollywood actors' strike.
Tom Hanks will portray younger versions of his character in the Robert Zemeckis-directed movie 'Here', which is scheduled for release early the following year and features a Metaphysic tool. According to the AI firm, it is possible to add "high-resolution photorealistic faceswaps and de-aging effects on top of actors' performances live and in real time without the need for additional compositing or VFX work."
More and more people are expressing their opinions on AI as Hollywood continues to struggle with its rise. Tim Burton has criticized AI-generated art, a WandaVision background actor has expressed concern over "digital replicas," and James Cameron has warned of the potential dangers AI may bring in the future.
Related article: Writers Strike Ends as Hollywood Companies Agree to Pay Bonuses for Successful Programs
