Robert Downey Jr threatens to sue those using AI to copy his likeness
The battle between Hollywood actors and artificial intelligence continues. Robert Downey Jr has become the latest name to take a stand against the technology, warning any firms that might attempt to recreate his likeness that they will be hit with legal consequences.
The fight between actors and AI has been an on-going debate for multiple years now. In 2023, the American actor’s union SAG-AFTRA organised the longest strike in their history, from July 14th to November 9th, with one of their main complaints being the threat of AI and digital recreation. Actors were taking a stand against studios threatening to use technology to recreate and exploit their likeness, diminishing or threatening their work as human beings.
It’s a fear that has come to fruition many times. In recent months, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign circulated fake AI images of Taylor Swift supporting the politician. Furthermore, Scarlett Johansson was left “shocked, angered and in disbelief” when she found out that ChatGPT had digitally recreated and was using her voice.
Tom Hanks also spoke out about “multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs.” So, as celebrities are discovering, their fears over AI are a real threat.
Now, Downey Jr is the latest to discuss the presence of AI in Hollywood, warning any technology executives against even attempting to use his likeness. In a conversation on the podcast On With Kara Swisher, he discussed his concerns about AI and the use of the technology to keep his likeness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe long after he’s gone as an actor.
At first, he said that he was confident that the Marvel team would never do that to him, stating, “I’m not worried about them hijacking my character’s soul because there’s like three or four guys and gals who make all the decisions there anyway, and they would never do that to me, with or without me.”
However, Downey Jr then threatened to take action against anyone who ever did try it, including future executives who will be around after he’s retired or passed away. “I would like to here state that I intend to sue all future executives just on spec,” the Oscar-winner said. When another podcast guest said that Downey Jr wouldn’t be around to take action, he said, “But my law firm will still be very active.”
Downey Jr’s “moral” issue with AI
On the podcast, the actor explained why he worries about AI so much and why he’s so against the technology. He said, “It always comes down again to not the technology or the opportunity to line my pockets as much as, ‘Who are the people involved with this? Do I think they have a moral psychology? For what reason are they deploying this? Is their steering committee sound? Do I have something to learn from this experience, can I be additive?’ So I’m a little more agnostic about these things.”
Johansson shared a similar concern, saying in May that actors are living in “a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities.”
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