Robert Downey Jr. On The Use Of AI: "I Intend To Sue All Future Executives [Who Recreate My Likeness]"

Robert Downey Jr. On The Use Of AI: "I Intend To Sue All Future Executives [Who Recreate My Likeness]"

Robert Downey Jr. has taken a stand against the use of AI by promising to "sue all future executives" who attempt to recreate his likeness in movies - even after he's dead.

By MarkCassidy - Oct 29, 2024 03:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Avengers: Endgame

The use of AI (artificial intelligence) in Hollywood is becoming more and more widespread, despite the significant pushback it tends to be met with among a lot of fans and those within the industry.

Though some feel that the advent of AI as a tool is an inevitability that people are just going to have to accept, replicating an actor's likeness - especially posthumously - is a step too far for many.

Several high-profile actors and directors have already spoken out against the use of AI, and we can now add Robert Downey Jr.'s name to the list.

The Academy Award winner - who was the driving force of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tony Stark/Iron Man for many years and will soon make his MCU return as Doctor Doom - was asked how he feels about his likeness potentially being recreated on screen through AI technology and/or deepfakes on a recent episode of the On With Kara Swisher podcast.

“There’s two tracks. How do I feel about everything that’s going on? I feel about it minimally because I have an actual emotional life that’s occurring that doesn’t have a lot of room for that,” Downey began, before issuing a warning to any studios who may consider using AI to bring him back after he's passed on.

"I would like to here state that I intend to sue all future executives, just on spec.” RDI then acknowledged that he will be dead, "but my law firm will still be very active.”

The reality is, AI might simply be something we are going to have to get used to.

A recent report from The Wrap claimed that The Walt Disney Co. is planning to announce a major AI initiative that will transform its creative output. The initiative is said to involve “hundreds” of people at the company and will primarily focus on post-production and visual effects.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has previously said AI is a tool like any other, and that people shouldn't "fixate on its ability to be disruptive — fixate on [tech’s] ability to make us better and tell better stories. Not only better stories, but to reach more people."

He continued: “You’re never going to get in the way of it. There isn’t a generation of human beings that has ever been able to stand the way of technological advancement,” Iger said. “What we try to do is embrace the change that technology has created, and use it as the wind behind our backs instead of wind in our faces.”

Utilizing AI to enhance VFX is not quite the same as, say, completely replacing an actor with a deepfake, but many feel it is a slippery slope.

Gamora Actor Zoe Saldaña Shares Biggest AVENGERS Regret: I Wish That I Could Go Back And Redo It
Related:

Gamora Actor Zoe Saldaña Shares Biggest AVENGERS Regret: "I Wish That I Could Go Back And Redo It"

AVENGERS: ENDGAME Concept Art Spotlights Deleted Opening Scene With Smart Hulk
Recommended For You:

AVENGERS: ENDGAME Concept Art Spotlights Deleted Opening Scene With Smart Hulk

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Order66
Order66 - 10/29/2024, 3:08 PM
Ghostbusters and Rogue One are perfect examples when deepfake is used correctly and are essential to the story.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/29/2024, 3:14 PM
@Order66 - Ghost busters yes! They did it non speaking and as a ghost from what I remember.

Rogue one..no. it looked terrible and reminded me of the terrible deaging vfx from Tron 2
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/29/2024, 3:20 PM
@Conquistador - also, Ghostbuster Afterlife was kind of an ode to Egon/Ramis and actually death.

Rogue One could have done fine with out Tarkin IMO.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 10/29/2024, 3:29 PM
@Conquistador - Rogue One was so offensive it killed Carrie Fisher.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/29/2024, 4:31 PM
@ObserverIO - I forgot about that tag at the end. Even though it was bad I thought that one was better placed that Tarkin, still wasn't needed though.
philinterrupted
philinterrupted - 10/29/2024, 5:23 PM
@Conquistador - Tarkin was better than Rook in Alien Romulus.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/29/2024, 5:26 PM
@philinterrupted - Rook made more sense plotwise, but as he was an actual android and in pieces I would disagree with your point. His 'iffy' appearance was at least more plausible.

Still wasn't needed though.
philinterrupted
philinterrupted - 10/29/2024, 6:57 PM
@Conquistador - nah, Tarkin would have been there during Rogue One.
Rook, though the same model as Ash, could have been countless other models. Plus they didn’t need to use CG, and I don’t care about the excuses for why it was ok to look bad, They should have used practical like in Alien 3 with bishop.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/30/2024, 2:21 AM
@philinterrupted - I didn't disagree on them around, I disagree on them both needing to he used in the first place.
But in my opinion from the way they were used: Ash > Tarkin
BeyondtheFuture
BeyondtheFuture - 10/29/2024, 3:09 PM
Interesting…there was an interview in 2013 where he was all for cgi recreations of him as Tony stark after he died.
SATW42
SATW42 - 10/29/2024, 3:21 PM
@BeyondtheFuture - I'm pretty sure he's joking here. He outright says he doesnt think about it and then made a joke.
Deklipz
Deklipz - 10/29/2024, 4:18 PM
@BeyondtheFuture - there’s a difference between CGI artists spending their time and skill recreating an actors face digitally as opposed to an AI program doing it by some intern typing an AI prompt.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 10/29/2024, 6:45 PM
@Deklipz - What's the difference between those things other than the fact that one will always look markedly worse?
Deklipz
Deklipz - 10/29/2024, 8:14 PM
@Nightwing1015 - Seriously? One employs people with skill and the other removes those jobs entirely. You can’t be that stupid?
TheOtherOn
TheOtherOn - 10/29/2024, 8:24 PM
@Deklipz - Imagine all the factory workers who packed those canned food one by one each with their own hands losing their jobs to a machine that does thousands of cans per minute.

Or the Warehouses and Docks where workers used to carry every barrel and bag on their backs but then got replaced with automated cranes and heavy duty loading machines.

Oh the horror of losing jobs to automatic and faster processing machines.
Deklipz
Deklipz - 10/29/2024, 11:34 PM
@TheOtherOn - I guess you can be that stupid. Good job. 👍 there’s huge differences in your sad false equivalency but go ahead and think you actually made a valid point.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 10/30/2024, 9:33 AM
@Deklipz - And what did the skill accomplish in this example you cited except a product that objectively looks worse? Hardly an endorsement of skills....

Removing jobs isn't a bad thing. You would complain when the PC became mainstream and put a bunch of people out of clerical jobs? You can't be that stupid?

Deklipz
Deklipz - 10/30/2024, 1:13 PM
@Nightwing1015 - didn’t realize all the clerical workers that transitioned to PCs largely by moving from typewriters lost their jobs? Hint… they didn’t. And whether the end product is worse or better is an opinion. I’ll always take human created work over ai created work that’s built on stolen work, which every single ai at the moment IS. I grew up during that transitional period for clerical workers and it didn’t eliminate jobs the way ai already is. It’s not like you can’t just use your [frick]ing eyes and read it. But hey, you definitely have reading comprehension issues so I shouldn’t expect you to be able to do that…
Deklipz
Deklipz - 10/30/2024, 1:14 PM
@Nightwing1015 - where did I provide ANY example to look “objectively worse” or not? You really are that stupid aren’t you.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 10/29/2024, 3:11 PM
What if he used AI to sue them after he's gone? 🤔
supermanrex
supermanrex - 10/29/2024, 3:13 PM
Ultimately if the living individual or the estate of an individual who has passed approves the use and they are compensated accordingly then who gives a shit. it will fall into the same category as not being able to do an animated feature with someones likeness without the appropriate permissions given. it will be normalized as soon as proper laws are in place and a lot of people get off their high horses.
BruceWayng
BruceWayng - 10/29/2024, 3:20 PM
Kara Swisher is the most insufferable tool in all of tech. She seriously went on CNN and tried arguing that there is no such thing as “Big Tech”…yet she’s built an entire identity on pretending to be some tech insider.
IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 10/29/2024, 3:25 PM
User Comment Image
99OPTIMISTPRIME
99OPTIMISTPRIME - 10/29/2024, 3:30 PM
Dude, you're gonna be in Avengers 50, just deal with it.🤣
User Comment Image
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 10/29/2024, 3:37 PM
?si=iIoWgTkuMgMCHRp_
DocSpock
DocSpock - 10/29/2024, 4:00 PM

I promise to sue every one of you snarky CBM bastards who try to profit off my likeness and/or general greatness after I croak from the grave for infinity and beyond!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hainesy
hainesy - 10/29/2024, 4:41 PM
Just wait. A major actor, probably someone like Tom Cruise, will eventually announce they have sold their likeness to a studio to use with AI for some crazy amount of money. Maybe in perpetuity. Maybe for a 25 year term. Regardless, when these actors realize they can get north of a billion to license their likeness to an AI studio, they will.
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 10/29/2024, 4:44 PM
“Disney CEO Bob Iger has previously said AI is a tool like any other, and that people shouldn't "fixate on its ability to be disruptive — fixate on [tech’s] ability to make us better and tell better stories. Not only better stories, but to reach more people."

How in the hell does AI and make people better, tell better stories, or reach more people??

What a load of greedy corporate nonsense. They are so artistically bankrupt it’s sick.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 10/29/2024, 6:47 PM
@HulkisHoly - Because its another tool that could be used in movie production? Just like CGI was, and led to an era of amazing CG films
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 10/29/2024, 7:10 PM
@Nightwing1015 -

How does replacing human actors with AI help?
How does all the jobs being cut help?
How does AI writing help?


This is going to only save the execs money while giving us fake cookie cutter products and many people lose their jobs. It’s a massive upset in the film industry as a whole…heck it’s a massive upset to the entire world economy.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 10/30/2024, 9:28 AM
@HulkisHoly - replacing human actors with AI - Allows for perfect de-aging to better tell stories.
Jobs being cut - Job cuts aren't a bad thing inherently. The personal computer massively reduced the number of clerical jobs available.
AI writing - Not much help there except for maybe rephrasing stuff, reorganising paragraphs etc.

Also, it's not just gonna benefit Execs. Soon, the average joe will be able to make movies close to TV quality with AI.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 10/29/2024, 4:55 PM
Doom does not demean himself with such frivolities as monetary gain, nor does he seek reprimands in the court of law.

Doom's word IS law.
grif
grif - 10/29/2024, 5:01 PM
i bet he will sell his likeness to disney


marvel72
marvel72 - 10/29/2024, 5:03 PM
They'll wait until you are dead.
TheOtherOn
TheOtherOn - 10/29/2024, 8:20 PM
Yeah right...

Until he reads the fine print in his contracts, some of which were probably written and signed well before AI became a thing. And then studio also throws a bunch of $$$ to his face as compensation. 😜

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder