Are AI Actors Leading To The Death Of Authenticity?

From Poo's iconic moves in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham to the emergence of AI-generated actors, this generation has witnessed a drastic transformation in entertainment. The rise of these synthetic performers sparks serious ethical concerns and threatens the livelihood of human actors.

Artificial intelligence has permeated every facet of life like a termite, a force that is aggressively challenging people to find new ways to utilise their own ingenuity and secure their future. 

Can AI Replicate the Human Experience?

As viewers, we naturally connect with human actors because they bring real experiences, genuine emotions, and the relatable charm of bloopers and imperfections. In sharp contrast, computer-generated actors deliver performances with a chilling degree of perfection.

This flawless execution often strips the storytelling of its essential ‘drama’ and the spontaneous human 'spice’, making it feel sterile like a performance missing its crucial moment of genuine panic or vulnerability (akin to a perfectly rendered, but dramatically flat, "bachao bachao" scene).

The rising influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now extending its reach into the acting profession, posing a significant threat to the livelihoods of human actors.

Many artists pursue this field not just as a career, but as a path for personal growth and the opportunity to express themselves on screen. However, the emergence of artificial actors is poised to drastically undermine the financial stability of real performers. 

Furthermore, this shift could also lead to the downfall of the film industry itself, as audience preference leans heavily toward authentic, raw content over that which is digitally manufactured by AI. Apart from the livelihood factor, the more we develop our technology in terms of AI, the greater the risk of impersonation and ‘deepfakes’.

Hollywood's new AI actor 

Hollywood recently got a new actor, Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated character created by a Dutch actor and comedian, Eline Van der Velden, who said she wanted Norwood to become the "next Scarlett Johansson”.

Looking at Tilly, you will not be able to differentiate her from a real human, but in reality, she only decodes the encoded information.

Many Hollywood artists have condemned the arrival of this AI actor. "Any talent agency that engages in this should be boycotted by all guilds," said actor Natasha Lyonne, speaking to the BBC. The Russian Doll star is reportedly working with "ethical AI" to create a feature film that stars real actors.

Oppenheimer-famed actor Emily Blunt also reacted to Tilly Norwood in an interview with Variety, "Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection."

The SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) released a statement rejecting AI actors, saying it "doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ – it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardising performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.”

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The surge of AI actors has made us seriously question if there's any part of human life left that AI hasn't taken over. But there is one area it hasn't fully cracked: Creativity. We must remember that AI models can only process and interpret information that's already put into them; they can't actually use their own 'minds' to invent, feel, or show real, original emotions. Only real-life actors can add the typical 'rona-dhona' to the films.

Views expressed by the author are their own.