Tom Cruise showed up at a BAFTA event in London and made his stance on AI in Hollywood very clear. His message: there is nothing like human, and audiences want to see real things. He even said he always believes in humanity, which is a big quote from the guy who does his own stunts at 30,000 feet.
Cruise backed up his words with numbers, pointing to a reported $4.76 billion summer box office between May 1 and Labor Day as proof that theaters are still a force. He’s not new to this fight either. During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA negotiations, he pushed for actors to get consent and compensation before studios use AI replicas of their likeness or voice. Funny enough, his latest Mission: Impossible film had him battling an AI villain called the Entity, so the theme isn’t exactly hypothetical for him.
The complicated part is Val Kilmer’s estate announcing earlier this year that he’ll be resurrected on film using AI. That puts Cruise’s pro-human stance right up against a real example of the technology in action, and it’s sparking a bigger debate about who gets to decide when a performer appears on screen again. So what do you think, should estates be able to bring actors back with AI, or should that line stay uncrossed?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.