Nicolas Cage to Tom Hanks, list of celebrities hitting back at AI

Nicolas Cage has recently lashed back at AI by voicing his fears about its usage in acting. During his acceptance speech for Best Actor, for his role in Dream Scenario at the 52nd Saturn Awards, he expressed concerns that AI cannot authentically reflect the human condition.

He stated that “there is another world” that is disturbing him. “It’s happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us, " the actor said.

He added,

“That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can’t let that happen.”

Describing the job of art he said that, “it holds a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition…”He continued,

“A robot can’t do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose an edge and turn to mush.” He warned people and told them to “protect” themselves from AI.

The Ghost Rider actor’s recent concerns align with those of a list of other celebrities who have expressed apprehension about AI’s hindrance to creative fields. Let us explore who these celebrities are.

---

Celebrities who have publicly criticized the rise of AI posing a threat to the industry

Besides Nicolas Cage, a number of artists have advocated for stronger protection against the unauthorized usage of their work by artificial intelligence. Here is the list of the celebs -

Scarlett Johansson

She accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last year of using an AI voice that resembled hers for the company’s ChatGPT voice software, despite her declining the offer.

Expressing her shock over the incident she told CNBC in a statement,

"When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference," Johansson said.

---

Taylor Swift

S*xually explicit images of Taylor Swift circulated online in 2024 when the singer was all set to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce during the Super Bowl game. They were reportedly dropped by an anonymous user on X which were viewed 45 million times, as per a report in Style magazine. A source close to her said that she was “furious” and considered legal action.

During the US presidential campaign last year, she criticized former President Donald Trump for posting AI-generated pictures of her that falsely depicted her as a supporter of his campaign in a detailed Instagram post.

---

Keanu Reeves

During a press tour for John Wick: Chapter 4, he warned that AI might soon replace journalists. When he asked interviewer Angela Watercutter if she thought a bot could be conducting this interview in the future, she responded that she wasn't worried that it'd happen in her lifetime to which he replied, “Oh no, you should be worried about that happening next month." He further discussed his fears of “deepfake land.”

---

Zelda Williams

Robin Williams's daughter Zelda Williams has been vocal in her criticism of the use of AI to recreate her late father’s voice. In 2023, according to a report in the Independent, she shared an Instagram story where she explained how she finds it “personally disturbing” and that “living actors deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their HUMAN effort..”

---

Tom Hanks

In October 2023, he warned his fans about a promotional video for a dental plan that featured an AI-generated likeness of him, stating, "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 actor reportedly did not give his permission to be used in the video.

---

George R.R. Martin

In September 2023, George R.R. Martin joined other prominent authors, including John Grisham and Jodi Picoult, in filing a lawsuit against OpenAI. Martin who is known for his book series, A Song of Ice and Fire sued ChatGPT owner OpenAI while filing a lawsuit. It claimed that the authors’ books were used to train the ChatGPT model without permission.

In addition to these celebrities, many more have spoken against AI including Stephen Fry, Steven Spielberg, Katy Perry, The Jonas Brothers, Billie Eilish, J Balvin. According to a 2024 report on CNN, music artists have called out AI companies through an open letter organized by the non-profit Artist Rights Alliance.

The letter indicated to, “cease the use of artificial intelligence to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.” It highlighted the AI threats including deepfakes and voice cloning and urged the digital music platforms and services to pledge to protect artists.

It was signed by several signatories including celebrities like Camila Cabello, Imagine Dragons, Zayn Malik, and others.