Celebrities want their legacies to outlast them, and now they can. As technology continues to quickly advance, celebrities can now immortalize themself using AI. Some directors are using dead actors in new movies by using AI.
Actors like Peter Cushing, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Walker and Carrie Fisher are all examples of deceased actors being used after death. When shooting “Rogue One: A Star Wars Movie,” actor Peter Cushing comes back, 20 years after his death, to play his infamous character, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. On the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), Peter Cushing is only mentioned in the special thanks and not included with the cast, nor his body doubles.
This event opened many questions: Who gets paid? Do they have permission to use his likeness? Is this ethical? As reported by DeCrypt, a website that is dedicated to teach others about technology, members of the Screen Actors Guild are fighting to protect their own likeness while other actors and celebrities are embracing AI technology in hopes to get a step ahead of people who might exploit them for money or fame. Actors like Robin Williams filed a deed that denies permission to use his images in any films or publicly until 2039. Once 2039 hits, Williams will be able to be digitally inserted into films as he passed on his likeness and image to the Windfall Foundation, meaning they would be able to digitally insert him in a film eventually.
“AI is just a tool. If you’re using it as a simple way to make money — bringing back Ledger as Joker would be a box office smash. It’s complicated because a lot of people are entitled to it financially, which is the quickest way to find oneself in an “ethical” (legal) debate,” writer and movie director, Josh Rosman said.
Though many people are hesitant to use AI, others see its benefits. Using AI in the entertainment industry may reduce costs and can be more efficient. Paying actors, especially well-known ones, can be very expensive. AI characters are much more flexible as you can customize them as needed to fit the story. Using AI in the entertainment industry can help deceased actors remain part of the cast in future sequels. A common example of this is when Universal Studios used Paul Walker’s brother Cole Walker and AI to bring Paul Walker back from the dead to complete his role as Brian O’Connor in the Fast and Furious franchise. Another example of AI being used on celebrities is the movie IT: Chapter 2 where AI is used to de-age the actors to make it seem like there wasn’t a break between shooting the two movies since they were shot a couple of years away from each other.
As technology continues to grow and expand, entertainment must find a balance between digital and traditional to reach its full potential.