Simu Liu Explains Why AI Represents An ‘Existential Threat’ For Striking Actors & Writers

etcanada.com:

One of the sticking points in the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strikes has been AI, which Hollywood studios could use to create scripts and recreate the likenesses of actors.

During a recent interview with Complex, Liu discussed why AI is such a big deal to writers and actors. “We’re at a really interesting inflection point in the industry,” he said. READ MORE: Simu Liu Is ‘Ready’ For The ‘Shang-Chi’ Sequel, But ‘There’s Certain Things That Are Beyond My Control Happening’ “And I feel like a lot of industries are going through the same thing to be fair, but generative AI, it represents such a tool, and an opportunity, but also such an existential threat if the clear terms and boundaries and delineations are not properly addressed,” he continued. “I think, questions about AI, bring about further questions about what art even is.

Where do you delineate human creativity versus machine learning? And where are the crossroads, and how do you draw a line? I think, with the market being the way that it is, if there is a way for a studio or a streamer to take advantage of this current situation, then they will.

And that’s exactly why the unions need to hold them accountable and need to protect the intellectual property of the writers, and to protect the digital likeness of the actors,” Liu explained. READ MORE: Simu Liu On Waxing For Ken’s Role In ‘Barbie’: ‘I Have A Newfound Appreciation For Anyone That Undergoes That’ “I mean, these are definitely problems that we didn’t anticipate having 10 years ago, but this is the landscape that we’re in now, and so that, to me, is a big, big piece of why this strike, and this negotiation is important,” he added. “Nobody I think given a choice, no actor wants to be picketing.