Michael Caine needs to listen to Morgan Freeman and say no to AI: “Don’t mimic me with falseness”
Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine have two of Hollywood’s most distinctive voices – one deep and American, perfect for narration, and the other a charming Cockney. Yet, while one of these stars has allowed their voice to be cloned by an AI company, the other thinks this kind of technology is getting out of hand.
Caine recently announced that he has partnered with ElevenLabs to give them permission to use his voice for commercial purposes, which is a terrifying prospect.
No longer is your voice just yours – someone else has access to it – and in times where AI is getting more realistic than ever, that’s something that everyone should be more wary of. The arguments against artificial intelligence are endless, from the environmental impact to the domination of technology rather than the prioritisation of human creativity, and you’d hope that someone like Caine, a stalwart part of the creative industries, would know better.
“For years, I’ve lent my voice to stories that moved people — tales of courage, of wit, of the human spirit,” he said, as reported by Deadline. “Now, I’m helping others find theirs. With ElevenLabs, we can preserve and share voices — not just mine, but anyone’s. ElevenLabs is at the very forefront of technology, using innovation not to replace humanity, but to celebrate it”.
We are currently living in a world where even the President of the United States is using AI to make videos promoting his agenda, while people are turning to ChatGPT to generate advice and images without any ounce of real human creativity. It’s a depressing state to be in, and what we need are those with power in the arts world, like actors, to actually do something about it, not give in to these soulless new money-making schemes.
Is Caine helping anyone by allowing his voice to be used inauthentically? This is a company that is also taking the voices of deceased actors, like screen legends Judy Garland and Laurence Olivier, and replicating them without their permission. Once an actor is dead, let them rest, for God’s sake. What’s wrong with finding new talents, giving other actors jobs, and celebrating the humanity of art, which can’t be replicated by machines?
Meanwhile, Freeman wants AI companies to stay away from his precious pipes, which have helped him to become an iconic star (this isn’t the first time he’s expressed disgust). Everyone knows Freeman’s voice, many people can do great impressions of it, but that’s where the actor rightfully draws the line. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Freeman explained, “I’m a little PO’d, you know. I’m like any other actor: don’t mimic me with falseness. I don’t appreciate it and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you’re gonna do it without me, you’re robbing me.”
The actor is making sure that no one gets away with replicating his voice, adding, “Well, I tell you, my lawyers have been very, very busy.”
This all comes after the recent controversy surrounding Tilly Norwood (which private school did she go to?), the AI-generated character who is set to be the next movie star. Of course, there’s been enough backlash to prevent Norwood from succeeding, because how can you make a movie with someone who isn’t real? AI is truly going to be the death of cinema.
When the lines between what’s real and what’s not become blurred, it sets a scary precedent. How are we meant to know what to believe? I recently found myself falling for an AI-generated video on Instagram, despite the fact that I’ve previously thought myself able to distinguish anything as being AI, having scoffed at Facebook users who are convinced that a video of a child with superhuman strength is actually a totally real miracle baby.
But there I was, sending a video to my friend, only to be met with, ‘You know this is AI, right?’ If you’re not paying full attention to what you’re looking at, it’s only going to get easier to be fooled by what comes up on your timeline. All of a sudden, you might hear the voice of Garland endorsing some bizarre pseudo-science, and there you have it – her legacy is tarnished by AI slop. What if you heard Caine’s voice, but couldn’t be quite sure if what he was saying had actually come from his mouth or not?
Hollywood needs to take a firm stance against AI, and while the previous strikes took this into consideration, it seems like not enough actors are doing anything to stop this technological disease from spreading. Instead, they’re investing money into these programs (Matthew McConaughey is another name reportedly partnering with ElevenLabs), seemingly unbothered by the dangerous precedent this sets for the entertainment industry. At least Freeman has his head screwed on.
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