‘What will be left?’: Lisa Kudrow slams Tom Hanks’ new movie ‘Here’ as an ‘endorsement of AI’

Lisa Kudrow has come out swinging against Tom Hanks’ new movie Here, describing the film — which uses de-aging technology — as an “endorsement of AI.”  Kudrow made the comments in a recent appearance on Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert.

The Friends star took issue with Here — which is notable for its reunion of Hanks and co-star Robin Wright with Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis — for its use of de-aging technology, which allowed the lead actors to appear decades younger in certain scenes. “All I got from that was, this is an endorsement for AI,” Kudrow said of watching the film, before expressing concerns about the precedent it sets for actors. 

“It’s not like, ‘Oh it’s going to ruin everything,’ but what will be left?” the actress added. “Forget actors, what about up-and-coming actors?” Kudrow went on to suggest that with the progression of de-aging technology — which in some cases uses AI-driven tools — studios will just be “licensing and recycling” an actor’s likeness for use in movies. “What work will there be for human beings?” she questioned. “There’ll be some kind of living stipend for people, you won’t have to work? How can it possibly be enough?”

Kudrow’s comments came a few days after it was confirmed that Here is one of three movies vying for the Oscars shortlist for best visual effects that used de-aging technology with the assistance of AI. Alongside the Hanks-starring movie — which follows multiple generations of couples and families inhabiting the same home over a century — AI-driven tools were also used for the visual effects of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Alien: Romulus, which are also contending for the best visual effects shortlist. 

Interestingly, Hanks himself has discussed the growing prevalence of AI in Hollywood. Last year, the actor made headlines for raising concerns about his ability to star in movies even after his death. “I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but performances can go on and on and on and on,” Hanks said. The A-lister went on to declare that “all of the guilds, all of the agencies and all of the legal firms” are currently deliberating on “the legal ramifications of my face and my voice and everybody else’s being our intellectual property.” 

Kudrow and Hanks aren’t the only actors who have raised concerns about the use of AI. In June, Morgan Freeman condemned the unauthorized use of his likeness in an artificial imitation while calling for “authenticity and integrity,” and before that, Scarlett Johansson said she was “angered” to hear a chatbot voice that sounded “eerily similar” to her own. For his part, Robert Downey Jr. threatened to sue future executives who attempt to create digital replicas of him using AI after his death while Keanu Reeves reportedly has a specific clause in his contracts that prohibits the use of his likeness through AI technology. 

Of course, many of these concerns were raised during the WGA Writers’ Strike, which in addition to demanding higher pay, also called for provisions around studios’ use of AI and protections in members’ contracts involving AI. Kudrow’s comments might have been the first you’ve heard of Here, since the film endured an underwhelming haul at the box office upon its premiere last month. Kudrow appeared on Armchair Expert to promote No Good Deed, the new Netflix series she stars in alongside Ray Romano, Linda Cardellini, and Abbi Jacobson.