- Written by Tom Singleton
- Technology correspondent, BBC News
Image source, Getty Images
Hanks has previously spoken about his concerns about artificial intelligence
Tom Hanks has warned that the ad he appears to be showing is actually a fake ad based on artificial intelligence.
“There is a video promoting some dental plans using my AI version,” the actor wrote on Instagram.
He added: “I have nothing to do with it.”
Hanks has previously spoken about the “technical challenge” that artificial intelligence poses to his industry, and the issue has been central to recent strikes by prominent Hollywood actors and writers.
As AI systems become more powerful and sophisticated, concerns have grown about their ability to create more realistic virtual versions of real people – sometimes called deepfakes.
The use of deepfakes in pornography, sometimes used as a form of revenge, has prompted the government to tighten the law in England and Wales to make it easier to prosecute perpetrators.
Fake photos and videos used by politicians by AI also exacerbate the problem of online misinformation. Among those targeted are former US President Donald Trump and current leader of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
AI video processing can also be used in non-controversial ways – for example, pioneering virtual concerts featuring the band ABBA.
The possibility of using artificial intelligence to expand the careers of performers was one of the things Hanks discussed when he appeared on The Adam Buxton Show in May.
“We saw this coming, we saw that there would be this ability to take the zeros and ones from inside a computer and turn them into a face and a personality. This has only multiplied a billion times since then and we’re seeing it everywhere.” ,” He said.
“Anyone can now recreate themselves at any age through AI or deepfake technology. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but the shows can go on and on and on.”
Fears that they will be replaced by artificial intelligence helped spark a wave of strikes that have disrupted Hollywood, with Stranger Things and The Last of Us hit.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents screenwriters, recently reached a tentative agreement with studio heads to end their industrial action.
However, a separate dispute involving actors — which is also partly driven by concerns about artificial intelligence leading to fewer acting jobs — remains unresolved.