Lisa Kudrow concerned about AI deepfakes after seeing Tom Hanks' new film

Since it hit theaters last month, Robert Zemeckis' new drama Here has received mixed reviews. Some claim that the movie, which reunites Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis, who worked together on ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Cast Away’ is just too cloyingly sentimental. Others argue that it’s shallow, vapid and just not very good.

Here is based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel of the same name (first published in 1989 and expanded in 2014), which focuses on show the same location in space at different points in time, from the beginnings of time to thousands of years in the future - while showing how the aging process of the protagonists who inhabit the space.

What AI software was used in Robert Zemeckis' film ‘Here’?

The latter was possible thanks to a digital technology used by Zemeckis called Metaphysic Live, a Neural Performance Toolset (NPT) software which is able to “blur the lines between different eras”. It was used in Eminem’s Houdini video, to teledeport Slim Shady from the early 2000s to the present day and to bring Elvis Presley back to life to give a deepfake performance of Hound Dog on America’s Got Talent in 2022.

Zemeckis hired Metaphysic to create the visuals allowing both Richard (Tom Hanks) and his wife Margaret (Robin Wright) to play their characters during different eras.

It’s an example of the advancement of technology that is not to everyone’s taste - a departure from the previous practice of bringing in other actors to play the younger or older versions of the main characters in a film.

In the case of ‘Here’, the technology used is based on AI, and American actress and director Lisa Kudrow, has condemned the use of the technology used in ‘Here’ and explained why she thinks it is harmful to the industry.

AI and the debate it generates among artists

Kudrow aired her thoughts about AI in Hollywood productions on the Armchair Expert podcast, noting that the only thing ‘Here’ says to her is that “it’s a nod to artificial intelligence. It’s not like it’s going to ruin everything, but what’s going to be left? Forget about actors, what about up-and-coming actors? It’s just going to be licensing and recycling.” Her criticism of AI didn’t end there, noting that actors “could shoot the scene, then watch the playback of them when they’re younger, and it’s ready for them to watch”.

A future that, in the words of the actress, is worrying, and that is “what work will there be for human beings?” There are doubts among many people about AI and its proliferation and use in different areas, but regarding ‘Here’ its protagonist also has something to say, with Tom Hanks declaring that “it is a tool for cinema, nothing more. It is no different from having better filming material or a more realistic rear projection for someone driving a car.”

Here premiered at the AFI Fest in Hollywood in October and has grossed $14 million worldwide - recouping around a third of its budget.