Movie stars worry about AI threats: What if someone uses my face and voice to make a movie?

As generative artificial intelligence continues to gain popularity, some people have begun to use this technology to create fake movies and trailers, which has caused great concern among actors in related roles. Therefore, before artificial intelligence is widely used in the film industry, they hope to take a series of measures to protect their rights.

Search Wes Anderson on YouTube and you'll find that this unique director has made trailers for movies such as "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings," starring big stars such as Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.

In fact, these trailers are generated using artificial intelligence.

The controversy over artificial intelligence, which has enabled people with no real actors and few resources to create fake movie trailers, will be on the table when the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) plans to begin labor negotiations on June 7 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents film studios such as Disney and Netflix.

AI has already caused divisions between film studios and striking screenwriters, who want the industry to ensure the emerging technology is not used to write scripts.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the Screen Actors Guild's chief negotiator, said the union also wants to ensure members have control over how their "digital doubles" are used and that studios pay real actors appropriately.

"Actors' names, likenesses, voices and characters are capital," Crabley-Irish said. "It's really unfair that studios are trying to take advantage of them and the actors who are being taken advantage of are not being properly compensated."

People have used artificial intelligence algorithms to create a series of popular videos that are indistinguishable from real ones. Well-known Hollywood actor Tom Cruise and others have become the protagonists of many deep fake videos. The parties involved called the technology too "terrifying", in part because these unauthorized videos can be distributed and used without the participation of actors.

Global interest in generative AI has exploded since Microsoft-backed AI startup OpenAI launched ChatGPT, the fastest-growing app ever, in November. Regulators in the U.S. and Europe are demanding limits to prevent misinformation, bias, copyright infringement and privacy violations.

Actors and screenwriters have also envisioned various use cases for AI technology in the film industry. For example, studios could try to use generative AI to enrich existing material and generate new content, thereby reducing costs and increasing revenue. The technology has been used to erase markers in videos or change mouth movements in dubbing programs to synchronize them with pronunciation.

Hollywood actor Leland Morrill said he was surrounded by cameras on the set, taking pictures from every angle.

“With this type of technology, they can use you to do part of the work and then use AI to do the rest of the character,” Morrill said at a Los Angeles convention. “That way we’re not on set and nobody’s getting paid.”

Justine Bateman, a producer, writer and former “Family Ties” star who has a degree in computer science and has long sounded the alarm about AI, said companies could allow fans to make their own “Star Wars” movies for an additional fee. Or a studio could take clips from a popular 1980s TV show like “Family Ties” and use AI to generate new seasons.

Some actors have signed agreements to determine specific uses of artificial intelligence technology.

Harrison Ford, 80, looks 40 years younger in the upcoming movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He revealed that Walt Disney's Lucasfilm used a photo of his face from the 1980s when he was filming the film.

"It's amazing," Ford raved about his youthful screen persona in an interview.

James Earl Jones, 92, reportedly agreed to let AI replicate the growl he voiced Skywalker in Star Wars so the character could live on. AI also helped Disney cast the late Carrie Fisher in the 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker.

Crabtree-Ireland of the Screen Actors Guild said actors have different levels of comfort with how AI is used, which is why the union is advocating for informed consent in negotiations with the AMPTP.

Representatives of the AMPTP did not comment on its stance on the use of AI in acting roles.

In negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the AMPTP proposed discussing the topic annually, but the WGA saw this as an attempt to dodge the issue. The WGA has been on strike since May 2 to fight for a resolution to the issue of AI and compensation.

If the Screen Actors Guild cannot reach an agreement on artificial intelligence and other issues, actors may also go on strike, which will put more pressure on film companies. Before the negotiations began, the union leaders had asked members to authorize the union to call a strike if necessary. The vote on the strike authorization will end next Monday.

Both unions want protections in place before AI is widely used in the film industry.

Bateman, a former Screen Actors Guild board member, derided AI as "automated imitation," which could lead to a future filled with corny entertainment from the past.

“I don’t want to live in that world,” Bateman said. “What’s the next movie genre? What’s the next music genre? If we all use AI, you’ll never see anything new.”