Tom Hanks is setting the record straight.
The two-time Oscar winner took to Instagram on Saturday, September 30, to warn fans that a viral video advertisement seemingly featuring Hanks promoting a dental plan is actually an AI-generated deep fake.
Hanks, 67, posted a screenshot of the video and wrote: “BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it. – Tom Hanks.”
Hanks has previously spoken about the rise of artificial intelligence and deep fake technology in the film industry. In an interview on Adam Buxton‘s podcast in April, Hanks revealed, “There are discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies and all of the legal firms in order to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice and everybody else’s being our intellectual property.”
The actor went on to reflect on the “bonafide possibility” that AI-generated movies could be made using his likeness.
“Right now I could get together and pitch a series of seven movies that would star me in them in which I would be 32 years old from now until kingdom come,” Hanks told Buxton. “Anybody now can recreate themselves at any age […] by way of AI or deep fake technology.”
The Castaway star further claimed that movies using an AI version of himself could also be made after his death and “there will be nothing to tell you it’s not me and me alone.”
“That’s certainly an artistic challenge but it’s also a legal one,” Hanks pointed out.
The false dentist advertisement is far from the first time celebrities have been used in a deep fake video. Countless stars — including Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise and Taylor Swift — have had their likeness used without their consent.
Hollywood is attempting to keep up with the alarmingly swift rise of artificial intelligence. Most recently, the Writers Guild of America strike, which began in May and ended late last month, resulted in several new terms being set to protect writers in Hollywood from being replaced by AI altogether.
One of the new terms prohibits studios from using AI to write or edit scripts that have already been written by writers. Studios are also now prohibited from using AI-generated scripts as “source material” that writers could then be asked to adapt for a reduced fee.
Additionally, while writers are allowed to use AI machines like ChatGPT, they cannot be forced to, and studios must disclose whether any material provided to writers has been generated using AI technology. These new terms protect writers’ rights and ensure that their jobs and income remain intact despite these technological advancements.
Meanwhile, legislation continues to lag behind. There is currently no federal law that prohibits the use of deep fake technology in the United States.
