AI is transforming filmmaking, but is it a creative revolution or a threat to actors?

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising filmmaking with rapid advances that bring both creative possibilities and ethical dilemmas.

AI technology now enables filmmakers to digitally recreate younger versions of actors, as seen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, where Harrison Ford was de-aged, or in Robert Zemeckis’s upcoming film Here, where AI is used to render Tom Hanks and Robin Wright to look like their 1990s selves.

Last year’s SAG-AFTRA strikes highlighted deep concerns in Hollywood, especially as AI tools increasingly allow actors' likenesses and voices to be replicated indefinitely. Equity, the UK performers’ union, warns that British law falls short in protecting performers from unauthorised or exploitative AI use.

Unlike traditional roles, many contracts involving AI avatars contain "buy-out" clauses, transferring actors' rights over their digital likeness without fair compensation or usage limits.

John Barclay, Equity Assistant Secretary, told Yahoo UK: “AI is reshaping our industry right now, with enormous implications for performers. Our members are increasingly engaging in AI-driven projects, yet the industry as a whole has been slow to address the risks AI poses — not only to performers' rights but also to the intellectual property of producers and studios.

"Consent, transparency, and control must become the foundation of new contracts to protect the creative contributions of human performers.”

Deepfakes and synthetic media

Synthetic media, powered by artificial intelligence, refers to digital content that replicates or generates realistic images, voices, and movements. In film and television, this includes deepfakes where AI maps a person’s likeness onto another’s, voice cloning (replicating someone’s voice from brief audio samples), and AI-driven visual effects (such as de-aging actors or creating digital backgrounds).

While synthetic media allows for creative flexibility and reduced production costs, it raises ethical issues around consent, job security, and copyright.

Read more: Artificial Intelligence

Michael Parkinson AI podcast interviews feel like 'therapy' to guests

What is Google’s ‘Jarvis’ AI and why is it different?

How to use AI to your advantage when applying for jobs

Since the rise of machine learning, high-profile actors like Scarlett Johansson and Gal Gadot became targets of deepfake technology, with their faces digitally manipulated into non-consensual explicit videos.

Dan Dewhirst’s case with Synthesia

British actor Dan Dewhirst’s experience demonstrates these vulnerabilities. In 2021, Dewhirst, an Equity member, accepted a contract with Synthesia to create an AI avatar from his likeness, seeing it as a promising opportunity during a challenging post-Covid job market.

Following a studio session capturing his mannerisms, Dewhirst soon discovered that his avatar was being used in a Venezuelan political social media campaign, promoting false information. Although he sought help from his agent and Equity, he found limited recourse; his contract’s broad terms left him unable to prevent the misuse of his digital image.

"My avatar is being used for misinformation, political propaganda and in TV — all things not allowed under the assurances I was given. No one wants to see themselves, against their will, spout the rhetoric of a controversial political leader! And it’s literally my face. It’s the ultimate defamation," said Dewhirst.

Barclay stated that following Dan’s case, multiple Equity members have come forward with similar concerns about AI use in media. He explained that Equity's process includes reviewing contracts to determine if the use of an actor’s AI likeness constitutes a breach, particularly when AI avatars are used beyond the originally agreed scope.

"Typical breaches involve cases where AI recreations exceed the contractual limitations," Barclay noted. According to Equity, 79% of their members report limited understanding of their rights regarding AI work, exposing a significant knowledge gap and vulnerability.

The legal lag behind AI in the UK

Earlier this year, Dr. Szilvia Ruszev, Senior Lecturer in Post Production at Bournemouth University, and her team produced a fully AI-driven short film to study generative AI’s effects on creativity, bias, and collaboration in media production. On 28 October, at the House of Lords, Dr. Ruszev presented policy recommendations to protect performers' likeness rights, establish an AI regulator and expert council, and promote diverse hiring within AI development.

"At present, there is little guidance on how to integrate generative AI into UK media responsibly and ethically," Dr. Ruszev told Yahoo UK.

Screen horror icon Peter Cushing was digitally recreated through AI as part of a documentary on the legacy of Hammer Film Productions. However, Cushing's estate is suing over intellectual property rights, challenging the unauthorised use of his likeness posthumously over his image used in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Read more: Hammer Horror doc director explains Peter Cushing's appearance in the film

As AI technology advances, the film industry faces a pivotal question: how can it embrace innovation without losing the essence of human storytelling?

Dishad Husain, a director at Imotion Films with over 20 years of experience, sees both the potential and risks in AI’s influence on cinema.

"Hollywood has a saying: ‘Nobody knows anything,’ and with AI, that’s truer than ever," Husain told Yahoo UK. "The challenge is balancing progress with preserving authentic storytelling. AI opens incredible possibilities, but we must ensure it doesn’t overshadow the human touch that defines great cinema."

A UK Parliamentary report, Artificial Intelligence and New Technology in Creative Industries, from the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee last month explored AI's rapid impact on creative industries, highlighting both opportunities and ethical concerns. Generative AI, like CreaTech, enables new forms of media through tools like virtual and augmented reality but also challenges copyright protections and creators’ control over their work.

It emphasised the need to protect performers’ rights from AI-generated misuse, and advocated for advancing the UK’s ratification of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which would establish international protections for performers in digital contexts. And proposed to abandon broad copyright exemptions that would allow AI companies to use copyrighted works without compensation, supporting instead a licensing system that guarantees fair use agreements and protects original creators.

However, specific timelines for implementing these recommendations have not been provided.

Equity’s #StopAIStealingTheShow campaign calls for updated regulations, and Barclay urges performers to use the union’s AI resources toolkit.

"At the centre of our industry is human creativity, and we must respect performers' rights alongside producers' rights. We advise our members to be cautious about what they sign in an age where AI can significantly impact their careers,” he said.