To a generation of moviegoers, Robert Downey Jr. is a hero. Maybe even the hero after 10 years playing Iron Man. But now the Oscar winner is a hero in the fight against companies using AI to replicate actor’s likenesses. Specifically, his own. The actor appeared on the On with Kara Swisher podcast to discuss, among other things, his work on the new Broadway play McNeal which takes aim at corporate giants in the AI space such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. In the interview, via Variety, Downey says he plans to sue “all future executives” who intend to replicate his likeness.
The long and short of it is RDJ doesn’t want studios to replicate his likeness or performance via AI or Deepfake technology. This practice has come under scrutiny, especially with regard to actors who have passed on. Just this year, the digital replication of actor Ian Holm’s image and likeness was used as a major character in Alien: Romulus. Holm passed away in 2020, well before Romulus went into production. Despite getting permission from his estate, we still have no idea if Holm himself would have approved.
When it comes to Robert Downey Jr., we know. And he does not want. Swisher asked him if he’s worried about his likeness being used, for example, in future Marvel projects. Downey responded:
“I am not worried about them hijacking my character’s soul because there’s like three or four guys and gals who make all the decisions there anyway and they would never do that to me, with or without me.”
However, when asked about people in the future, he said, “I would like to here state that I intend to sue all future executives just on spec.” When Swisher countered that he’d be dead, the actor was quick to retort. “But my law firm will still be very active.”
The slippery slope of giving up the rights to your own image will only get slicker as this issue keeps unfolding. One of the major aspects of both the SAG-AFTRA and the WGA strikes of 2023 dealt with studios would not simply replace actors and writers with AI. Digital facsimiles of people aren’t people, but they certainly are cheaper. It’ll take more people with clout like Robert Downey Jr. speaking up about it to stave off the AI apocalypse.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.