Tom Cruise leads talks with studios over fears of replacing actors with AI
Tom Cruise negotiated with major studios over actors' fear of being replaced by AI created likenesses
July 19, 2023
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise was the first to hold negotiations with the major film and TV studios on behalf of SAG-AFTRA members.
Hollywood’s actors are currently raising their concerns over being replaced by AL created likenesses. Cruise was enlisted to hold talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on the same issue.
He joined a negotiation session in June where he also spoke in favor of stunt performers. Hollywood’s stuntmen are also part of SAG-AFTRA’s 160,000 members.
Following failure to reach any agreement with the studios, SAG-AFTRA officially joined the striking writers at the picket line on Friday. It’s the first time that writers and actors are simultaneously on a strike in 63 years.
Recent advancements in AI have made replacing actors a possibility, generating fear among the actors fraternity. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher highlighted the looming threat of AI saying, “We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines.”
During the pre-strike negotiations, Cruise also urged SAG-AFTRA to allow actors to promotes their movies, bringing to light the crumbling position of theaters due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The union’s current strike rules, actors are barred from promoting movies that are backed by major studios, which means that Cruise can no longer promote his latest movie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, which is currently in theaters across the globe.
