Among the many issues at the heart of the WGA and SAG strikes right now is AI and its potential reach. On Saturday, “Shazam!” star Zachary Levi added his voice to those cautioning against it, warning that it “can very quickly consume” any field, even beyond Hollywood.
Levi’s warning came during his panel at FanExpo in Chicago, as he prefaced his time on stage by explaining to the audience what he could and couldn’t talk about in order to follow the rules of the SAG strike. As he got going, he took a moment to pause and address the issue of AI specifically.
“Granted, there’s some really cool things we can do with AI right now,” he said. “But I think, like with every very powerful f—ing thing that we ever, in our stupid hubris as human beings, come up with, we have to recognize that that power can very quickly consume all of us and all of our jobs.”
He continued, “So know that, as Hollywood, we’re asking you guys to support us as humans, because very quickly, even if we get great contracts in this round, a few years from now AI is going to be so good that you won’t be able to tell the difference.”
Levi then stipulated that, even at the current moment, AI is getting good enough to duplicate people’s voices and likenesses. He added that it, at the very least, has the capabilities of writing something.
“So in Hollywood, it’s specifically hitting us in the creative world. But just so you know, not trying to be doomsday — but also, it is,” Levi darkly joked. “You guys have to make sure that you’re aware in your own industries, in your own jobs. Look at where technology is going, because eventually it will come for us all, so we have to support each other.”
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