Tom Hanks has spoken about how his film career doesn’t have to end with his death. Thanks to AI and deep fake technologies…
Actor Tom Hanks (66) is concerned about the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the film industry. He spoke on The Adam Buxton about the fact that technology has enabled him to continue acting in films even after his death.
“My performances can always go on”
Speaking to British comedian Adam Buxton (53), Tom Hanks said: “Anyone can now recreate themselves at any age they are using AI or deep fake technology.” As a result, actors are no longer dependent on age-appropriate roles. For example, he could imagine a seven-part film series in which he starts at the age of 32. The technology can even be used after death: “I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but my performances can always go on.” There will be “a certain level of lifelike quality”. “No doubt people will be able to tell it’s AI, but the question is, will they care?”
The topic is not only an artistic, but also a legal challenge. Agencies and lawyers are already drafting contracts to copyright stars’ faces and voices.
More and more filmmakers are using AI
AI and deep fake technologies are increasingly used in the film industry. “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny” celebrates its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18th. The fifth installment in the adventure series used AI to make Harrison Ford (80) resemble his appearance in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Thanks to AI, Tom Hanks will also be digitally rejuvenated for his new film “Here”. In it he plays for the first time again with his “Forrest Gump” colleague Robin Wright (57). The strip is scheduled to hit theaters in 2024.
Hanks made his first experiences with computer-animated work almost 20 years ago: with the animated film “The Polar Express” “a huge amount of our own data, i.e. our appearance, was stored in a computer” for the first time. Even then, Hanks had an inkling of where Hollywood was headed: “We saw it coming, we saw that there would be a way to take zeros and ones from inside a computer and make a face and a character out of it.” It has “only grown billions of times since then”.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
