Tom Hanks has warned fans that a dental plan ad that appears to use his image is actually fake and created using artificial intelligence.
In a message to his 9.5 million Instagram followers, the actor said his image was used without his permission. “BEWARE!! There is a video out there promoting a dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with this,” Hanks wrote over a screenshot of a computer-generated image of himself from the clip.
The Oscar winner has expressed concerns about the use of AI in film and television in the past, although he hasn’t shied away from approving digitally altered versions of himself in film.
The 2004 computer-animated Christmas fantasy The Polar Express featured a CGI version of Hanks. He was also aged in scenes of the 2022 film “A Man Called Otto.”
Speaking to British comedian Adam Buxton on his podcast on April 18, just days before the Hollywood writers’ strike began, Hanks said of AI: “We saw this coming. We saw that there would be an opportunity to take zeros and ones into a computer and turn them into a face and a character. That’s just grown a billion-fold since then, and we see it everywhere.
“I can tell you that [are] Discussions taking place across all guilds, all agencies, and all law firms to determine the legal implications of my face and voice – and everyone else’s – being our intellectual property.
“If I wanted, I could sit down now and propose a series of seven films in which I would star and in which I would be 32 years old from now until the coming of the kingdom. Anyone can now recreate themselves at any age using AI or deepfake technology.”
Hanks told Buxton that the AI could allow a fake version of him to continue operating forever.
“I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s all, but the performances can go on and on and on. And other than understanding that it was made with AI or deepfake, there’s nothing that can tell you it’s not me and me alone. And it will have a certain level of lifelike quality. This is certainly an artistic challenge, but also a legal one.”
The US writers’ strike ended last week. One of the biggest points of contention was the concern that uncontrolled AI could undermine the work of creatives. The Writers Guild of America has agreed to an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television that places restrictions on the use of AI in film and television.
However, Sag-Aftra – the union that represents Hollywood actors – continues to strike, meaning most productions cannot resume. The actors’ strike began a few months after the writers’ strike. The dispute centered on pay and concerns about the use of AI to create unauthorized likenesses of actors. There is hope that the writer’s contract could help resolve the Hollywood actors’ strike.
In the Robert Zemeckis-directed film Here, due out next year, Tom Hanks will play younger versions of his character using a tool from Metaphysic. The AI company said it can “create high-resolution photorealistic facial shifts and anti-aging effects in addition to actors’ performances live and in real time, without the need for further compositing or VFX work.”