Tom Hanks believes AI could keep him appearing in movies after he's dead

17 May 2023, 14:28

Could you be watching the Cast Away star in films "from now until kingdom come"?

Tom Hanks believes AI means there's a real possibility he could keep appearing in movies after he dies and that viewers could be watching a youthful version of the actor "from now until kingdom come".

The 66-year-old star of Cast Away and the recent Elvis biopic admitted there are discussions going on in Hollywood to protect actors' likenesses in the wake of developments being made in artificial intelligence technology.

Speaking on the Adam Buxton Podcast, Hanks said: "I can tell you that there are discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms in order to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice and everybody else's being our intellectual property.

"What is a bona fide possibility right now is, if I wanted to, I could get together and pitch a series of seven movies that would star me in them in which I would be 32 years old from now until kingdom come."

Final trailer for Baz Luhrmann's Elvis

"Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deep fake technology. I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that's it, but performances can go on and on and on and on.

"Outside the understanding of AI and deep fake, there'll be nothing to tell you that it's not me and me alone.

"And it's going to have some degree of lifelike quality. That's certainly an artistic challenge but it's also a legal one."

The Apollo 13 and Toy Story star acknowledged an AI-generated version of himself could end up appearing in projects he wouldn't usually have chosen, but he's not convinced audiences will care that they aren't watching the real him.

He said: "Without a doubt people will be able to tell [that it's AI], but the question is will they care? There are some people that won't care, that won't make that delineation."