\n<\/p>\n
\u201cShould I?\u201d<\/em> is an important question for actors to ask themselves throughout their careers. Whether it\u2019s working for free<\/a>, playing a potentially controversial<\/a> role or appearing nude on stage or screen, the question of \u201cshould\u201d can aid in difficult decision-making\u2014especially when arguments for and against are more ethical than practical. There is no more relevant question in our industry today than \u201cShould I use AI as an actor?\u201d<\/em> It\u2019s a tough and murky topic, and it very much requires your focus.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re asking yourself \u201cshould I use AI as an actor?\u201d, you are likely struggling with the ethics of using the controversial tool that is artificial intelligence as a practicing artist. Arguments can be made for the use of AI by actors, with benefits to be found in research, marketing and the planning of one\u2019s career. However, AI also represents an existential threat to the arts industry\u2014particularly in the elimination of jobs in areas such as writing, voice and background acting (extras work).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Now, before we jack in: the purpose of this article isn\u2019t to pass judgement on whether you do or don\u2019t use AI in your acting career or<\/em> your everyday life. Many people do, and it\u2019s an increasingly normalised technological tool in society. However, the ethics of AI is important for everybody to consider. Make your own call, by all means. Just as long as you engage.<\/p>\n In a previous article on this topic<\/a>, we explored the way that AI is being used in the arts industry. It\u2019s already responsible for some sweeping changes, particularly in fields such as casting, marketing, logistics and production.<\/p>\n However, when any innovation befalls an industry, the question to ask is this: who benefits most? Usually it\u2019s those in charge. And, usually, sadly, those people aren\u2019t actors.<\/p>\n Often, it feels like the industry is dead-set on replacing actors outright. Why? Because they\u2019re expensive. They join unions<\/a>, they ask for residuals<\/a>, they demand silly things like money for rent and food and health insurance. Actors are an expensive item line in creative budgets, and as their popularity rises so does their value and their demands.<\/p>\n Put yourself in the shoes of a studio head, or a producer in charge of multiple expensive productions a year. If somebody approached you about reducing those costs \u2026 wouldn\u2019t you hear them out?<\/p>\n This is why actors need to view AI as an existential threat. It\u2019s already decimating jobs in fields such as extras work and voice acting. And while the star power of real, honest-to-goodness humans will keep AI from starring in films (just yet), the amount of smaller roles will keep diminishing while a cheaper, controllable alternative is available.<\/p>\n Not only available, but improving in leaps and bounds.<\/p>\n Of course, this has all happened before. In 1903, Frank Hanaway<\/a> got paid to fall off a horse in\u00a0The Great Train Robbery.\u00a0<\/em>This rendered him the world\u2019s very first stunt performer. In the 122 years that followed, stunts have thrilled audiences and brought them in droves to see what filmmakers could think up next.<\/p>\n Then came Computer Generated Imagery. Suddenly, it was cheaper and easier to fall off a horse: you could animate and render it and get the same damn product. Better, even: the stunt performer falls perfectly every time\u2014exactly to the director\u2019s specifications. What happened to the stunt performers, you might be wondering? Many moved into coordination and choreography. Plenty became safety supervisors, and some even got in on the CGI game and learned to operate the machines that replaced them.<\/p>\n There are still stunt performers in the industry today. We salute those who perform in this dangerous, thrilling line of work.<\/p>\n The point we\u2019re making here is that the creative industry has always been concerned with technology, with progress, with the latest thrill that brings audiences in droves to the theatre\/cinema\/penny arcade. Will we survive AI? Probably. But it\u2019s a different kind of struggle.<\/p>\n The difference with AI is how wide-reaching the implications of this advance will be. It\u2019s not just a matter of replacing stunt performers or actors, it\u2019s the replacement of cinematographers, directors, technicians and (as always) writers. It\u2019s a destruction and rebuild of the entire system. And actors might not survive this time.<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019d hope, right? Currently, people can tell the difference between an AI performance and a real one, but it\u2019s getting harder. The technology is advancing at incredible rates, and these rates increase as the demand from customers increases.<\/p>\n Arguably, it\u2019s much harder to detect AI in fields such as voice acting and extras work because the technology doesn\u2019t need to \u2018work\u2019 as hard to create a complete rendering of that performance. A voice doesn\u2019t need to \u2018belong\u2019 to a real performer if we never see their face. A crowd in the background of a shot in a movie only needs to look good in the wide angle.<\/p>\n Actors tend to be able to make the AI\/reality distinction with greater clarity. As studies of human character, as empathy machines, we can quickly see what\u2019s lacking from a performance that might sound fairly convincingly human.<\/p>\n But for many creators and consumers, they just don\u2019t care. Sure, it might look or sound a little odd \u2026 but content is content. What\u2019s more, they don\u2019t connect a generated VO on TikTok<\/a> to the conclusion that an artist won\u2019t be paid for that work. The convenience, and the possibilities AI represents trump the short- and long-term needs of the individual.<\/p>\n These days, it is perfectly normal to feel powerless as an artist in the face of AI. It\u2019s ubiquitous technology, used by millions, and it is growing increasingly sophisticated and integrated into our lives. Is AI here to stay? Probably. But that doesn\u2019t mean that you have to give in immediately.<\/p>\n Take a stand in your own career. Avoid working with companies that regularly employ AI in their marketing or advertising copy\u2014odds are they wouldn\u2019t blink at replacing the acting talent they hire. For voice actors,\u00a0be extremely careful in reading and signing contracts<\/span> that may actually ask to use your voice for AI models in perpetuity.<\/p>\n Keep track of your legal rights in your state or country: don\u2019t stand for practices that seek to violate that. If there are strikes, as there have been on multiple occasions in our industry about AI and copyright<\/a>, never cross the picket line to support those who are looking to make a short-term buck.<\/p>\nAI is Changing the\u00a0 Industry<\/h2>\n
Surviving Progress<\/h2>\n
Can People Tell the Difference Between AI and \u2018Reality\u2019?<\/h2>\n
What Can I Do About AI as an Actor?<\/h2>\n