Tom Hanks AI Being Used For Marketing Without His Consent
Deepfake technology has claimed yet another victim, and this time it’s Tom Hanks. Though science fiction has always associated the rise of artificial intelligence with a robot uprising, or some sort of medical experiment gone wrong that threatens our way of life as we know it, in this case Tom Hanks’ likeness was used without his consent for a dental ad. The Cast Away star went on his Instagram after the video went live, and assured his fans that he had “nothing to do with it.”
Tom Hanks reports that his likeness is being used in a dental ad without his consent.
Back in May, Tom Hanks spoke about the dangers of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry on The Adam Buxton Podcast after the writers strike was well underway, but before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
Having performed multiple roles in 2004’s The Polar Express, Tom Hanks has been well aware of how capable technology has become in using not only his likeness but the likeness of any other actor. In the case of The Polar Express, however, it’s safe to say that a contract was signed, and that Hanks was aware that his likeness would be rendered for the computer-animated film and that he would be compensated accordingly.
Consent is the name of the game, and it was a huge point of contention during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. If Tom Hanks had nothing to do with the dental ad, then we could reasonably assume that he wasn’t compensated, or even made aware that his likeness would be deepfaked to produce the ad. Imagine waking up one day, and seeing yourself in a commercial that you didn’t have anything to do with.
Hanks even stated that if he were to get hit by a bus tomorrow, performances using his likeness could still be produced in perpetuity, which is something that he’s not too happy about.
That’s exactly what happened to Tom Hanks, and he’s warning us about it.
In fact, Hanks even stated that if he were to get hit by a bus tomorrow, performances using his likeness could still be produced in perpetuity, which is something that he’s not too happy about.
It’s a great thing that actors like Tom Hanks are being so outspoken about the use of AI in the entertainment industry because up-and-comers don’t necessarily have the resources to voice similar grievances. Just like Peter Frampton pushed back at ASCAP for musicians to get better residuals from streaming, Tom Hanks is the big-name actors need to push back against studios for using AI to undermine an actor’s ability to earn a living.
While it’s not uncommon for a celebrity to sign a contract to endorse a product or service, they are usually paid for their time and their star power.
We’re not saying that Tom Hanks would have wanted to star in a dental ad in the first place, but he should at the very least have received a phone call from somebody asking if he was okay with his image being used to sell a product that he may not necessarily endorse.
Tom Hanks refers to the dental ad as both an artistic and a legal challenge. While it’s not uncommon for a celebrity to sign a contract to endorse a product or service, they are usually paid for their time and their star power.
If studios are able to simply sell products by using artificial intelligence to use whatever celebrity they want, then it goes without question that they’re trying to get out of writing a check even though they need the boost in visibility.
Considering the timing of the Tom Hanks ad, we can only hope that this piece of AI-generated content was produced before the strike saw its resolution and that actors will be protected from receiving similar treatment in the future.
Though we’re sure that some actors might not mind that their likeness is being used, they at the very least need to have the final say in the approval process and give consent to the studios that clearly want to use their image to sell a dental plan, a movie, or even a TV show.
