Could Tom Hanks Live Forever? With AI on the Rise, He Seems to Think So
Key takeaways
- Actor Tom Hanks said on a podcast his image could be used “from now to kingdom come” thanks to AI
- Dawn of the new tech poses interesting questions for the future of TV, film and music
- For investors, the IP of actors and singers could be a new lucrative avenue
Acting legend Tom Hanks commented this week that his image could be used in films “from now until kingdom come” thanks to AI technology. The comments came at a podcast appearance, where he also raised concerns about the artistic and legal challenges around AI in films, TV and music. Here’s what he had to say.
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What did Tom Hanks say about AI?
The 66-year-old said he first predicted he was essentially replaceable by technology when he made the 2004 Christmas classic, The Polar Express, where the actor said “we saw that there was going to be this ability to take zeros and ones from inside a computer and turn it into a face”.
He also commented it’s now possible for him to pitch films where he could once again play a 32-year-old. “I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but performances can go on and on and on and on,” Hanks said.
AI’s impact on the film and music industry
Ever since a holographic version of rapper Tupac appeared at Coachella in 2012, the media industry has low-key been wondering how to keep film and music stars’ careers going without the actual person.
For investors, it’s an interesting conundrum. Should the creative and legal differences between artists and AI tech be resolved, we could see the IP of each artist increase dramatically and introduce a new asset class for companies.
Several artists including Shakira, Bob Dylan and Calvin Harris have sold their song catalogs to private equity firms. With AI, their voices could be recreated infinitely without extra work from the artist. Some will be happy — singer Grimes is apparently encouraging the use of AI for her voice — but others won’t be.
The bottom line
Artistic credibility will undoubtedly be at odds with the dawn of AI. If a happy conclusion can be reached, then we could see more AI-generated films and TV shows making the rounds and possibly even winning awards. For investors, it’s a developing area to keep an eye on.
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