We can’t really imagine Tom Hanks ever getting angry, but he’s not the kind of man who will stand for any nonsense, it seems. The legendary actor has, very politely, called out an advert which uses his image without consent.
Most people would rank Tom Hanks among the very best actors of his generation, if not of all time. After starring in a number of the best movies of all time, like The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, and Forrest Gump, we are willing to forgive him for a few unusual career choices of late.
One role he did not sign up for, however, is to promote a dental plan. Doesn’t sound like the kind of Oscar-winning part you’d normally see in the best Tom Hanks movies, does it? Well, that’s because it’s not him.
On his Instagram page, Hanks called out an advert that is doing the rounds where a dental company have used his face without consent by means of AI technology.
You can see the post below, where Hanks said: “BEWARE. There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it.”
The 2023 Writers Strike and subsequent Actors Strike have foundations in the rise of AI and the desire of movie studios to use the technology to replicate the likeness of actors, so Hanks knows all about this issue.
In fact, he spoke about it on the Adam Buxton podcast, where he said: “If I wanted to, 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.”
“Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are, by way of AI or deep fake technology,” he continued. “I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it. But my performances can go on and on and on… Outside of the understanding that it’s been done by AI or deep fake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me.”
On the strikes, Hanks added: “I can tell you that there [are] discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice — and everybody else’s — being our intellectual property.”
It’s a scary thought indeed that Hanks, or anyone for that matter, could essentially have their face cloned on to any piece of media without their knowledge or consent. Hopefully that never happens. But, if that kind of story has you intrigued, here are our lists of the best robot movies and the best horror movies. For more from Hanks, check out our list of the best ’90s movies. Or, look ahead to a future where our minds could be harvested in the name of science, with our look at Avatar 3.