Generative AI Revolutionizes Entertainment with Digital Actors and Virtual Idols

Generative AI is transforming the entertainment industry, introducing AI actors and virtual idols, while raising ethical and labor concerns.

    Key details

  • • Generative AI introduces AI-generated actors like Tilly Norwood, stirring debates about impacts on human actors.
  • • Hollywood's use of AI has expanded, causing concerns leading to 2023 actor and writer strikes.
  • • Virtual idols in K-pop exemplify AI's growing commercial success in music entertainment.
  • • YouTube experiments with AI-generated content raise intellectual property and creator rights questions.

Generative artificial intelligence is dramatically reshaping the entertainment industry, introducing AI-generated actors, musicians, and hosts that are transforming creative roles and production processes. One prominent example is Tilly Norwood, an AI-created actress, whose emergence has sparked debate about the implications for human actors. While AI technology has been used in Hollywood productions for years, recent advancements have intensified concerns regarding ethical frameworks, intellectual property rights, and labor issues. This tension was evident during the 2023 strikes by actors and writers in Hollywood, who voiced fears about AI encroaching on their professions.

The influence of AI is not limited to acting; virtual idols in Korea's K-pop scene are gaining widespread popularity and commercial success, exemplifying AI's growing role in music entertainment. Additionally, platforms like YouTube are experimenting with AI-generated content, raising complex questions about the use of copyrighted material to train AI systems and the future of content creation.

Prominent figures such as director Guillermo del Toro have expressed apprehension about AI diminishing human creativity. These developments underscore the pervasive and evolving impact of AI technologies in the entertainment sector, prompting industry-wide reflection on how to balance innovation with the protection of creative labor and intellectual property.