Lisa Kudrow Sounds Off on De-Aging in Tom Hanks’ New Film

You could almost say that we’re living in a pivotal time with the rise of AI tools and technologies. There’s currently a real fear that jobs could soon start disappearing as the people on top turn to AI to cut production costs, while lining their pockets with more money.

One of the people who shares this fear is Lisa Kudrow, and she is definitely not a fan of the way Tom Hanks’ ‘Here’ endorses the concept.

Lisa Kudrow Calls Tom Hanks’ Latest Project An “Endorsement For AI”

The world is changing faster than most of us could take, and AI is becoming more and more developed and dependable as the days go on. As a result of this, Kudrow fears for the future of the entertainment industry.

The ‘Friends’ alum shared her feelings towards Robert Zemeckis’ latest directorial effort, ‘Here,’ during a recent appearance on the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast.

While we may take solace in the fact that the movie, which reunited Zemeckis with his ‘Forest Gump’ stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, was a box office failure – earning only $13 million worldwide – Kudrow doesn’t think it’s enough for it to fail.

“They shot it, and they could actually shoot the scene and then look at the playback of them as younger, and it’s ready for them to see,” Kudrow said. “All I got from that was, this is an endorsement for AI. It’s not like, ‘Oh it’s going to ruin everything,’ but what will be left? Forget actors, what about up-and-coming actors? They’ll just be licensing and recycling.”

“Set that completely aside, what work will there be for human beings? Then what?” the “Friends” star continued. “There’ll be some kind of living stipend for people, you won’t have to work? How can it possibly be enough?”

What Tom Hanks Has Said About De-aging and AI Technology

Tom Hanks is more enthusiastic about the use of AI in Hollywood than Kudrow, as he believes it could enable him to keep acting long after he is dead.

“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,” Hanks said at the time. “Outside the understanding of AI and deepfake, 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 Oscar winner revealed that “all of the guilds, all of the agencies and all of the legal firms” are currently in discussion on “the legal ramifications of my face and my voice and everybody else’s being our intellectual property.”

Whose side are you on? Do you share in Kudrow’s fears or in Hanks’ hopes?

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