AI could make actors in TV shows and blockbusters unnecessary, experts fear
The use of artificial intelligence in TV and film production could potentially render actors unnecessary, according to industry experts.
Actors – including motion capture master Andy Serkis – have spoken to Sky News about their concerns for the impact of AI, with the acting union Equity insisting the government’s pro-innovation stance isn’t thinking about the human cost.
“You can put anyone in any situation, saying anything, and that is risky for all of us,” The Lord Of The Rings star told Sky News in an interview recorded earlier this year.
“For security, for politicians, we’re living in a post-truth world … and that’s scary.
“Algorithms are controlling our tastes, our whole lives are driven by a higher force in a way that we are losing grip of.”
From blockbuster behemoths such as Indiana Jones using this technology to make actor Harrison Ford younger, to the Fast franchise using it to bring back deceased stars like Paul Walker, AI is now everywhere in film and TV.
ITV’s Deep Fake Neighbour Wars – a comedy featuring celebrities who’ve never filmed a frame – is one of the more disturbing examples of the potential for how technology can now be used.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Meet world’s first ultra-realistic robot
‘We’re signing away our moral rights’
But AI isn’t only an issue for A-listers.
Laurence Bouvard isn’t a celebrity but, through voiceover work and in smaller roles on TV and in theatre, she’s worked consistently as a jobbing actor for over 30 years. Increasingly, she says, she and her peers are being tied into contracts where they’ve little say over where their performances end up.
“We are signing away all of our moral rights,” she says. “They’re basically giving permission to AI to use your data infinitely for any project.”
“We basically have a choice – you sign it and get used, or you don’t sign it, and you don’t work for that company.”
Bouvard says her acting colleagues are frequently finding audio they submit for auditions is being sampled and used by tech companies offering little or no remuneration. Ultimately, the fear is it’ll be used by computers to put her out of a job.
For those working in the industry, it’s a brave new world.
Dr Stuart Armstrong, an expert in artificial intelligence, says, put simply: “The acting profession is going to change.”
“It’s going to shake-out into a new form dictated by economics and by union deals and regulations. The danger, the worst case scenario, is that actors become superfluous.”
Read more:
He has warned his creation is a threat to humanity – who is the ChatGPT boss?
AI could kill humans in two years time, Sunak’s adviser warns
Meet the world’s first humanoid robot – but can it be trusted?
Equity has this week felt compelled to produce a legal toolkit to advise its members on what to watch out for.
It believes the government’s determination to “become a global AI superpower” means it isn’t interested in the acting union’s concerns, as industrial official Liam Budd explains.
He says: “We have a UK legal framework which isn’t designed to protect performers from the unauthorised imitations of their work using AI tech.”
Behind the scenes, algorithms are also now being used to predict a movie’s success before it’s even green-lit. Warner Bros. confirming recently it’s signed a deal with an LA start-up whose programme will assist the studio in some of its decision-making.
With AI fast becoming an integral part of the creative process – the fate of actors is becoming intertwined with that of the machines.
Martin Lewis says motorists who were mis-sold car finance are likely to receive “hundreds, not thousands of pounds” – with regulators launching a consultation on a new compensation scheme.
The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com believes it is “very likely” that about 40% of Britons who entered personal contact purchase or hire purchase agreements between 2007 and 2021 will be eligible for payouts.
“Discretionary commission arrangements” saw brokers and dealers charge higher levels of interest so they could receive more commission, without telling consumers.
Pics: PA
Speaking to Sky News Radio’s Faye Rowlands, Lewis said: “Very rarely will it be thousands of pounds unless you have more than one car finance deal.
“So up to about a maximum of £950 per car finance deal where you are due compensation.”
Lewis explained that consumers who believe they may have been affected should check whether they had a discretionary commission arrangement by writing to their car finance company.
However, the personal finance guru warned against using a claims firm.
“They’re hardly going to do anything for you and you might get the money paid to you automatically anyway, in which case you’re giving them 30% for nothing,” he added.
Read more: How to tell if you’ve been mis-sold car finance
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Who’s eligible for payout after car finance scandal?
Yesterday, the Financial Conduct Authority said its review of the past use of motor finance “has shown that many firms were not complying with the law or our disclosure rules that were in force when they sold loans to consumers”.
The FCA’s statement added that those affected “should be appropriately compensated in an orderly, consistent and efficient way”.
Lewis told Sky News that the consultation will launch in October – and will take six weeks.
“We expect payouts to come in 2026, assuming this will happen and it’s very likely to happen,” he said.
“As for exactly how will work, it hasn’t decided yet. Firms will have to contact people, although there is an issue about them having destroyed some of the data for older claims.”
He believes claims will either be paid automatically – or affected consumers will need to opt in and apply to get compensation back.
Read more from Sky News:
Hamas ‘ready’ to deliver aid to hostages
Oasis ‘saddened’ after man dies at concert
The FCA estimates the cost of any scheme – including compensation and administrative costs – to be no lower than £9bn.
But in a video on X, Lewis said that millions of people are likely to be due a share of up to £18bn.
The regulator’s announcement comes after the Supreme Court ruled on a separate, but similar, case on Friday.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike