Can the glow of stardom outlive an actor’s mortal life? With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), the late American actor James Dean has been digitally cloned for an upcoming movie. However, this remarkable tech has sparked some tough debates about celebrity deepfakes.
Reviving James Dean through AI
James Dean, the iconic actor, tragically died in a car crash in 1955. However, he is now set to star in the upcoming film, “Back to Eden,” thanks to AI technology. This technology, akin to deepfakes, allows for a digital clone of Dean to act alongside living performers.
Nonetheless, the decision has sparked a Hollywood strike, marking the first one in more than forty years. Actors and screenwriters, worried about the potential loss of creativity and job opportunities, are voicing their concerns. Susan Sarandon, in particular, expresses her fear of relinquishing control over her own likeness.
Previous Encounters with Posthumous Performances
This is not the first instance of AI-assisted posthumous performances. Stars like Carrie Fisher and Paul Walker have reappeared on the silver screen through advanced digital technology. These resurrections, often termed “passive flat screen, 2D” portrayals, are akin to deepfakes.
Beyond Flat-Screen Roles
Dean’s digital reincarnation signifies more than just a comeback on flat screens. His AI avatar will engage with audiences across interactive platforms like augmented reality, virtual reality, and gaming, indicating an extraordinary shift in what AI can do.
The Unsettling Questions Raised
But this technological advancement poses some uneasy questions concerning deepfakes: Who owns the rights to someone’s face, voice, and persona after their death? What control can they have over their posthumous career?
Digital Cloning: An Advanced Process
The process of digital cloning requires a combination of a celebrity’s archive of photographs, films, and audio recordings, high-resolution scanning, and AI. For modern celebrities with a comprehensive digital footprint, the digital clones could potentially converse convincingly with the living, blurring the lines between reality and virtuality.
Concerns from the Acting Fraternity
The fear of living actors losing jobs to deceased ones is palpable, especially among voice actors. The ability to use the original voices of iconic cartoon characters indefinitely could potentially monopolize the voiceover industry, leaving living actors unemployed.
Posthumous Rights: A Legal Gray Area
The issue of postmortem publicity rights is complex, differing from state to state in the US. Generally, rights to publicity transfer to next of kin or the party named in a will. However, this doesn’t necessarily protect the deceased’s intentions for their image use. The need for stronger laws to protect the rights of both celebrities and ordinary citizens is growing with the rapid advance of technology.
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