Tony Stark may rely on AI to help build and pilot his Iron Man armor, but actor Robert Downey Jr. will go after any executive who thinks of using AI to replicate him for a role. Downey made his feelings clear in a new episode of the “On With Kara Swisher” podcast, where he discussed AI, deepfake technology, and his antipathy toward any effort to recreate it with AI, even after his passing.
Downey isn't too concerned about Marvel Studios' future pushes to insert an AI replica of him into future films without his permission. The temptation is obvious as Downey's most famous role kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe and he will even return to the MCU as Doctor Doom in the next film. Avengers: Judgment Day movie. Interestingly, both characters are well known for their use of AI and advanced technology, with Doom in particular sending an endless array of robotic duplicates with AI versions of his mind and personality to carry out his orders. Still, trust that. The studio management will not betray him.
“And going back to the MCU, I'm not worried about them taking my character's soul because there are like three or four guys and girls that make all the decisions there anyway. And they would never do that to me with or without me,” Downey said. on the podcast.
Host Kara Swisher noted that it's more about what happens after he passes, but Downey had an answer for that: “Well, you're right, and I'd like to state here that I intend to sue all future executives simply.” . according to specifications,” he stated.
“You'll be dead,” Swisher responded, to which Downey quickly replied, “But my law firm will still be very active.”
Eternal battle against AI
The Oscar winner is not the only actor wary of AI duplicates, a critical issue for the strike and the eventual settlement reached by this year's recent Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) walkouts. Downey's opinion may be reinforced in law thanks to a bill introduced by California legislators that prohibits the unauthorized reproduction of deceased actors.
On the other hand, some actors are fine with AI taking on their iconic roles as long as they and their eventual estate approve and are compensated. For example, James Earl Jones agreed to allow Disney to use his voice for future Darth Vader projects before his recent passing. Your contract details how and when your AI voice clone can be used.
Jones isn't the only celebrity to allow AI companies to replicate his voice or face. Meta landed deals with many celebrities, including John Cena, Keegan Michael Key, and Kristen Bell, to voice his Meta AI assistant. ElevenLabs did the same with Deepak Chopra for its Reader App, striking a deal with the estate of James Dean, Burt Reynolds, Judy Garland and Sir Laurence Olivier to allow it to add artificial intelligence versions of their voices to the app. Not all artists have the resources to fight potential AI deepfakes that could occur. Therefore, AI's place in Hollywood was a key point during the strike.
Downey has been immersed in issues of artificial intelligence and art thanks to his recent stint on Broadway in McNeal. The drama, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar, sees Downey playing a famous author fighting against AI's takeover of creative projects and how artists and audiences must deal with the implications of the technology. It's not much different from what Downey said in the interview, including criticism of the way AI developers sometimes imply or openly proclaim that AI is key to saving the creative industries. ChatGPT is no Ultron, but Downey is very much opposed to what AI could do to actors, writers and other creators, much as Iron Man fought killer AI on the big screen.