AI actors appear in films as debate grows over human performers’ future
An AI-generated likeness of Val Kilmer appears in the western *As Deep as the Grave*, with approval from his family, while synthetic performer Tilly Norwood is due to make a feature debut. Their arrival has renewed debate over whether AI performers could compete with human actors, amid public unease about technology being imposed on audiences and concerns from actors such as Emily Blunt.
Industry views differ on how close that prospect is. Framestore’s Tim Webber argues that AI models reproduce visual surfaces but remain far from conveying genuine human emotion; Higgsfield AI’s Adil Alimzhanov says the technology is advancing and can speed up production. The company says its two online AI-made films, *Hell Grind* and *The Cully Hill Boys*, took about a fortnight and a month to produce, excluding scriptwriting.
- AI likenesses of Val Kilmer and Tilly Norwood are fuelling debate about synthetic actors.
- Experts disagree on whether AI can deliver convincing human performances.
- Higgsfield says it made two AI films in weeks.
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AI-generated performers are created or altered using computer systems, sometimes from a real actor’s likeness and sometimes as entirely invented characters. Using a real person’s likeness can raise questions about consent and how their image is used; an invented performer may raise questions about work traditionally done by actors.
Film companies and technology firms see potential uses such as making some production tasks quicker. Actors and others in the industry have raised concerns about the effect on human performers, while audiences may have views about how these characters are presented. There is disagreement over whether the technology can convey human emotion as convincingly as a person.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Hollywood AI-listers: is the technology ready to rival flesh-and-blood film stars?”.