Tom Hanks Sounds Alarm on AI Deepfake of Himself

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Facts

  • Tom Hanks recently warned his 9.5M followers on Instagram that an ad for a dental plan. The ad appears to use a fake image of a younger version of Hanks made by artificial intelligence (AI).1
  • 'BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it,' Hanks wrote in a post.2
  • The origin of the video, as well as the dental plan it promoted, is unknown. Hanks's publicist did not respond to requests for additional comment.3
  • The 67-year-old Hollywood star has previously spoken out on the rise of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology and its effect on the entertainment industry. Three months before the July start of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike, Hanks said in a podcast that it’s now possible for him to continue acting after his death.4
  • Hanks warned that once the technology is available, there will be nothing to differentiate between a real-life video and one that has been altered with AI — posing legal and artistic challenges.5
  • The ongoing strike by the SAG-AFTRA  also has an AI angle, with concerns over opportunities for studios to eliminate the use of background actors altogether or borrow a celebrity's likeness without their permission.6

Sources: 1Guardian, 2The hollywood reporter, 3Today.com, 4New York Post, 5Mirror and 6Business Insider.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Sky news. Hanks' warning personifies the problem with Artificial Intelligence and its use in the entertainment space. The unauthorized use of a person's name, likeness, or voice should be protected immediately. We are drifting into dystopian territory as these deepfakes emerge and infiltrate the content we consume.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Govtech. Celebrities typically charge for commercial use of their likeness, and these rights can be enormously valuable, so it's possible that new economic opportunities could actually be created with AI likenesses of actors. This is just one of the many nuances that regulators must factor in when creating policy to help govern deepfakes. This is a tricky arena, but thoughtfully developing fair rules and regulations can ensure that a creative Wild West doesn't occur.

Predictions