AI is Transforming the Industry – How can Actors prepare?

It is no secret that AI has made a significant impact on the film and TV industry since its worldwide introduction in the early 2020s. With many creatives fearing that this could lead to the loss of their jobs and AI replacing writers, filmmakers, and actors, there have been multiple instances of backlash on social media over the years. And now that Coca-Cola has released its second AI-generated ‘Holidays Are Coming’ Christmas advert, there is more buzz around the topic once again. However, it may not all be doom and gloom, as there are steps you as an actor can take to protect yourself and prevent AI from jeopardising your career!

How has AI changed the film & TV industry so far?

In the early 2020s, generative AI gained widespread popularity on social media with the introduction of AI tools like DALL-E offering the creation of images from prompts, which spread online like wildfire. It felt like anyone, no matter their skillset, could create any artwork in seconds without training. This also led to a lot of backlash, with the recognition that AI could be used as an alternative to hiring real artists to do the job.

Since its inception, the film & TV industry has utilised AI in various areas. In pre-production, AI tools have been used to generate story ideas, analyse scripts, and assist in casting and location scouting. In VFX, AI tools can replace certain CGI methods, such as deepfakes, and allow directors to compose actor expressions from multiple takes. And in post-production and distribution, AI can speed up or replace tedious tasks, including object removal, stabilisation, market analysis, and analysing audience retention.

Needless to say, AI isn’t ‘evil’, but rather it needs to be used ethically without compromising the jobs of artists. It can be used to speed up tasks and shorten the already very long process of creating films and shows, which benefits creatives as well as audiences. However, where it becomes an issue is when generative AI is trained on artists’ work without consent, threatening their security within the industry.

How does AI impact actors?

• Job security
  

Possibly the most commonly spoken-about risk of AI is the frightening feeling that it will replace the jobs of many creatives. With AI being a cheaper and faster alternative to hiring real artists, many big studios may take shortcuts in the filmmaking process from pre-production all the way to post. For actors, this may mean a reduced need for voice actors due to the option of AI-generated voices, the use of AI to recreate and generate an actor’s likeness (raising increasing concerns about recreating deceased actors), and the application of deepfake technology that allows one’s face to be replaced with another's. All of these points place acting job security at risk. In addition, the use of AI in the scriptwriting process may indirectly impact an actor's performance.

• AI Training & Copyright
  

AI has to be trained on existing content, meaning that voices, faces, and likenesses must be trained on footage that already exists. This issue was a significant factor in the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023, as union members sought to address their concerns about AI training to verify that their likeness (their visual image and what makes them unique) can’t be trained upon by AI or recreated. After all, the original creators and actors within existing moving image that AI is trained with receive no copyright or compensation.

This does, however, strikingly point out that AI doesn’t have the capability of creating something truly new and original. As an actor, you challenge conventions and raise boundaries, something that AI will never replace.

• Ethical practices
  

The previous two points have already addressed many ethical issues associated with the practice of AI. Many feel that recreating an actor’s likeness raises many ethical concerns, as the actor may possibly not even be aware of this, and it could lead to misrepresentation – especially when it comes to deceased actors. AI being trained on existing creatives’ work and actors’ performances also questions what is ethical and what isn’t. Should an actor’s likeness and appearance have to be copyrighted?

How you can prepare as an actor

There are many ways that you, as an actor, can prepare yourself for the future, as AI is likely here to stay. From learning more about it, to protecting yourself as an individual and worker, here are our top tips in this ever-changing industry.

1. Educate yourself about AI
   

It is important that you know the capabilities of AI and how it can affect you in your place of work. You should understand the potential risks, as well as how AI may affect your image, likeness, and voice. Read up on breakthroughs in the AI space, and just as importantly, keep up-to-date on any news regarding AI in the film and TV industries.

1. Read contracts carefully
   

When reading and signing contracts, check for clauses about AI training on your likeness or agreements that give companies rights to your likeness and voice.

1. Stand out from the crowd
   

A huge part of being an actor is your unique look, performance style, and voice! This is more important now than ever, as your likeness as an actor is what casting directors will seek in this world of repetition and convention. What makes you stand out from everyone else, and why should a director want to work with you as a real artist?

1. Join a union
   

As mentioned before, the SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 involved actors wanting a clause in the new contract that disallows companies from using AI to recreate their likeness and voice. In the UK, our actors' union is Equity, which fights for legal protection and better rights for actors.

Why is AI so controversial?

After having mentioned how AI may affect the jobs of actors and creatives, it’s useful to also consider the audience and how they react to generative AI. In an industry fully driven by audience metrics and market responses, the impact of a tool like AI on people at home is important to remember. With many big brands having used generative AI for adverts in the past, there are many examples of AI failing to capture the essence of real artists.

• Coca-Cola Christmas Advert
  

Let’s use the example of the Coca-Cola advert. In 2024, it was met with heavy backlash on social media due to the entire advert being made with generative AI, meaning Coca-Cola didn’t have to pay as many filmmakers, actors, and animators. However, according to the creators, the advert was met with generally positive reception, and this year’s iconic “Holidays Are Coming” advert was once again 100% generated with AI. Many people stormed social media with backlash, agreeing that generating such a staple piece of western culture with AI removes all of its charm and magic. To many people, the Coca-Cola advertisements served as the official start of the Christmas season, a period of time dedicated to warmth, family, and giving—something that generating the ads with AI completely contradicts.

• Red Roses AI Advert
  

Red Roses Women’s Rugby shared a still image of an AI-generated advert featuring two people watching rugby on TV, with noticeable AI elements used to fill the room with merchandise and Red Roses symbols. The audience was quick to point out the missed opportunity for a still photo that could be done for a fairly low budget and feature the creative minds of photographers, set designers, actors, costume, hair, and makeup artists. It removes genuineness and authenticity from a brand and has the exact opposite effect of what the creators were aiming for – to paint an image of unison.

• Volvo “Come Back Stronger” Advert
  

Another advert generated fully with AI, the Volvo campaign centred about returning to Saudi Arabia was generally seen as a flop by the audience. With generic graphics paired with a piano instrumental and voiceover, many people saw it as lazy and devaluing of real artists’ work.

• Vogue
  

Modelling for a luxury brand Guess was an AI model – a flawless blonde model fully generated with AI. This generated backlash, especially in an industry that is already filled with impossible beauty standards, especially in the pages of a fashion magazine with so much prestige.

In general, many people are against the use of generative AI for public and published releases—no one is comfortable with the idea that big companies, who are already looking to minimise their costs as much as possible, can take even more shortcuts and avoid paying artists for their work. In addition, art and videos created with AI stand out with weird glitches, artefacts, and low quality and often fall into the uncanny valley. 

How can AI be useful to you as an actor?

Although we have touched on many points that make generative AI unethical and controversial, artificial intelligence itself isn’t inherently bad. There are many tools that you can use to help you as an actor, no matter what stage in your career you are at! AI had been used for many years before image and video generation arrived on the scene – for analytics, idea generation, and feedback on your work.

• Inspiration
  

AI can be a tool to help with generating prompts for improvisation sessions or ideas for a script for your next showreel piece. It can be used as a means of generating inspiration for how you can play a character, how to dress, and what accent to use. You could even upload a script for analysis and receive insights into characters and plotlines. There are endless possibilities for the use of AI for sparking ideas and concepts.

• Feedback, learning & AI coaching
  

Although the experience of attending acting lessons and tutors is invaluable, AI can be an additional way for you to gather feedback on your acting or delivery. Not sure if you’re mastering an accent? AI can offer you feedback on your accent and dialect. It can also give you audience metrics and statistics and aid you in a specific direction. 

• AI-assisted casting calls
  

Instead of scrolling for hours looking for casting calls that you are interested in, AI can assist you in finding more tailored and personalised roles for you based on your interests and strengths.

• Marketing
  

Being an independent or starting actor can be very difficult. Putting yourself out there and getting noticed feels like an impossible task in such a competitive industry, and AI can be a useful tool for helping you develop your social media presence and branding.

In Conclusion

With AI being an innovative tool that will continue to expand into the market, it is important to know about its implications to be able to keep yourself safe. But at the end of the day, art and culture can’t be recreated, and anything that is generated using AI is only an imprint of art created by real artists. Being unique and original makes you stand out from the crowd, and even more so gives filmmakers a reason to work with you!

Author

Rafal Szuba