When it comes to Keanu Reeves – he has always stood up against injustices done to himself and other actors/actresses. With the advent of AI technology, it’s been hard for actors to really keep their own image and for them to keep others away from making false videos about them.
Keanu thinks AI and deepfake tech has “scary” implications for performers and says an experience with being “digitally” edited earlier in his career made him think twice about what this new tech can really do to people.
Keanu hasn’t been alone in this feeling either as, In Russia, Bruce Willis went through the same thing by Deepcake creating a “digital twin” of the actor for a commercial for mobile phone carrier MegaFon.
As reported by Hollywood Reporter – A rep for the actor denied Willis had sold the rights to his digital likeness, originally. Deepcake, which claims to provide A-list actors with the ability to include their likeness in marketing campaigns without having to physically appear for it, told The Hollywood Reporter that Willis is the sole owner of his digital-likeness rights, which cannot be sold. A rep for the company also explained that its involvement with the actor was set up through his reps at CAA for ad campaigns in 2021 but that all future work will be dependent on Willis.
Keanu said about Willis’ likeness being used: “What’s frustrating about that is you lose your agency. When you give a performance in a film, you know you’re going to be edited, but you’re participating in that,” he said. “If you go into deepfake land, it has none of your points of view. There’s a corporatocracy behind it that’s looking to control those things.”
What’s worse is that he feels that actors may phase out.
He said: “The people who are paying you for your art would rather not pay you,” he said about threat of AI to human labor. “They’re actively seeking a way around you, because artists are tricky. Humans are messy.”
