Absolutely, the Iconic Show "The Simpsons" Must Eventually Conclude, Right? Correct?
In a thought-provoking piece for The New York Times, voice actor Hank Azaria voiced his apprehensions about the future of AI in the entertainment industry. With The Simpsons' nearly four decades of episodes providing an abundance of training data, the question of whether corporations would bring back deceased actors like Azaria arises. The scenario isn't farfetched; AI is already breathing life into Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars, James Earl Jones' Darth Vader, and The Beatles' music, thanks to AI after John Lennon's demise.
Even a botched AI recreation of voice actors seems promising at first. "What if we could hear a new Beatles album or a new Carlin special?" Azaria pondered in his Times op-ed. But the use of AI in entertainment carries a darker side. "[AI] lacks something," Azaria warned. "How big will the difference be?"
Actor Nicolas Cage echoed these sentiments during the Saturn Awards, warning his colleagues against relinquishing their humanity to AI systems. "Robots cannot do that," he said, referring to the human emotional process that brings life to art.
Two years later, Cage reiterated his concerns. AI may be a seductive allure, offering the chance to relive past icons, but at what cost? Gone are Peter Cushing, James Earl Jones, and John Lennon. And, with AI technology advances, the line between AI-generated and human performances may blur.
But Azaria remains skeptical. What makes a performance truly authentic? He misses Mel Blanc's iconic Bugs Bunny performances and wonders if AI could replicate that magic. Azaria thinks it might with his help, but a trap lurks in that very idea: "Technology is a tool," he said, "and if we let it upend our art, we may lose that art altogether."
Ultimately, the essay underscores both the potential and the perils of AI in entertainment. While technology may allow for the resurrection of pop culture icons, it could also threaten job security and diminish the human touch that brings performances to life.
Reference(s)
- Ballentine, T. (2021, October 15). AI and Voice Acting. IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/voice-acting-and-ai
- Patton, P. (2021, November 19). After the Voice: What Happens When Actors Die? Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/19/22773665/voice-acting-ai-james-earl-jones-darth-vader-legacy
- Hearn, A. (2022, February 7). Will AI Eventually Replace Human Voice Actors? Retrieved from https://www.techradar.com/news/will-ai-eventually-replace-human-voice-actors/
- Wadsworth, N. (2022, February 9). AI and the future of voice acting. Retrieved from https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-and-the-future-of-voice-acting/
The integration of artificial-intelligence in the entertainment industry could potentially lead to the creation of new Beatles albums or stand-up specials by deceased artists, as Hank Azaria suggested. However, Azaria also raised concerns about the loss of human emotion and authenticity in performances due to AI.
As technology continues to advance, the distinction between AI-generated and human performances may become increasingly blurred, making it challenging to determine what constitutes a truly authentic performance.
