Jared Harris Issues Cease and Desist Over Podcast Deepfake, Calls It ‘Perfect Example’ of Creatives’ Concerns About AI
Jared Harris‘ lawyers have issued a cease and desist order to the producers of a new podcast over its use of an AI-generated deepfake of him.
The podcast in question, “Films Not Made,” is hosted by Oscar-nominated producer Amy Hobby (“What Happened, Miss Simone?”) and director Avi Zev Weider (“Welcome to the Machine”). Each of its episodes revolve around a guest revisiting an old or abandoned film idea and using AI to create a new pitch deck and trailer for the unmade movie. As part of its early promotional run, the podcast released a clip featuring an AI-generated version of Harris.
The actor, who has received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles in “Mad Men” and “Chernobyl,” now says he did not consent to his likeness being used by the podcast. As a result, he has directed his lawyers to intervene on his behalf.
“This is a perfect example of the concern ‘creatives’ like myself have over the misuse of AI, namely the unauthorized use of one’s image, voice, work or likeness without prior consultation where the intention is to generate an income stream,” Harris said in a statement obtained Wednesday by Deadline. “The podcast is a commercial venture, set up to benefit the creators, and its producers.”
“I am not difficult to reach. My representatives regularly handle enquiries over my availability or interest in any number of projects. They and their information are easily accessible on IMDB. Neither I nor my representatives were contacted about this podcast,” Harris’ statement continued.
“As artists, we view the coming wave of AI generated content with curiosity and suspicion. Frankly, the suspicion rests entirely with the human element that wields it, not the technology itself,” Harris concluded. “My control over the use of my image is protected by contract and settled State and Federal law. I have not ceded that right through any prior professional association or relationship. Accordingly I have instructed my lawyers to issue a cease and desist order to the producers of this podcast and remove my image from their trailer and their promotional art work.”
In an interview with Deadline last week, Hobby and Weider were asked about their decision to create an AI-generated deepfake of Harris. Hobby, for her part, used a previous professional interaction with Harris as the reason why she felt comfortable doing so. Weider, meanwhile, suggested that such unauthorized deepfake use is a modern reality creatives will have to accept.
“We’re all breathing in the same air now,” Weider said at the time. “These tools exist. They’ve been trained on everything. Actors, filmmakers, books, scripts, art, all of us — we’ve been swept into something none of us consented to. That’s the atmosphere. The question is what you do once you’re breathing it in.”
The announced guests for “Films Not Made” so far include “Shrek 2” director Conrad Vernon and “Sideways” writer Rex Pickett. In response to Harris’ cease and desist order, Hobby informed the outlet that the actor’s likeness had been removed from the “Films Not Made” promotional materials in question.
The post Jared Harris Issues Cease and Desist Over Podcast Deepfake, Calls It ‘Perfect Example’ of Creatives’ Concerns About AI appeared first on TheWrap.