A major sticking point during the Hollywood strikes in 2023 was the use of artificial intelligence. The agreements they reached had provisions about how an actor’s digital likeness was used, including compensation. However, that is only one-half of the fight over AI. Last week, The Atlantic revealed that Google’s parent company, Meta, illegally used more than 7.5 million published works to train their new AI model, Llama3.
Millennial darling Joseph Gordon-Levitt started a Substack last month called Joe’s Journal. He brings up topics on his mind including the use of AI in the entertainment industry and beyond. It’s a nuanced post in which he reveals that his wife used to work for OpenAI, acknowledges that some AI can be used for good, but also warns of the existential threat it poses to all creators. As a follow-up, Joseph sat down with People to go into more detail.
Why do a Substack: “I’ve always been a big user of technology to connect with community and audiences,” says Gordon-Levitt, noting that he’s “less and less inspired” by algorithm-driven social media. “Substack feels it’s just a new great way of going back to the basics.”
A warning about AI companies not being on the level: “The entertainment industry might be the canary in the coal mine, but everybody with jobs throughout almost any industry in our whole economy has to be paying attention to how this technology is evolving. Anybody whose work is delivered on a computer, that data can be sucked up by these [AI] companies. And what they’re currently saying is, ‘Hey, we don’t have to pay you’ … To me, this sets a really bad precedent.”
Make it good but fair: The Killer Heat star is quick to add that AI can be a tool for good. “When I think about the upsides of what this technology could do, it’s super exciting,” he says. But, he reiterates, “if it’s going to be good for everybody and not just good for a few big businesses, then it’s got to be set up in a fair way.”
He’s not the only actor ringing alarm bells: Many of his Hollywood screen partners agree. Friend and Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne recently led an open letter, signed by the likes of Mark Ruffalo, Aubrey Plaza and Cynthia Erivo, urging the government to uphold copyright laws amid the loosening of AI regulations. Gordon-Levitt’s Don Jon costar Scarlett Johansson spoke out last month about the “1000-foot wave coming” after her likeness was used against her will, denouncing “the misuse of A.I., no matter what its messaging” in a statement.
It’s going to be worse than social media: The dangers of AI also constitute a newsletter topic because of the implications the tech holds for children, Gordon-Levitt points out. “Ask any parent, ‘What do you think of the way your kid relates to social media?’ Everyone’s worried,” he says. “AI is going to be like social media, but a lot more powerful. And a lot worse… There’s concrete proof that a lot of the biggest technology companies today target kids in a merciless way.”
Like Joseph, I think that AI can be used for good in the right space and place, like with some of Alexa’s functions or a roomba. But just like with everything else, it desperately needs to be regulated. He’s right about how cavalier companies are about stealing IP, too. Meta claims that they stole all of those published works because they didn’t want to wait for permission. You know, one of those “ask for forgiveness later” situations. (If you’re a published author, you can use The Atlantic’s database to search for your name.) Well, you can’t unring that bell and, despite all the pending lawsuits, it’s unlikely there will be consequences. It’s unethical and it’s gross. People deserve to be paid for their work. I have no idea how to stop it other than seriously enacting and enforcing regulations.
photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, T. Jackson/Backgrid, Getty Images for Netflix