"Anybody can now recreate themselves": Tom Hanks accuses dental plan ad of unauthorized AI voice cloning

Actor Tom Hanks recently revealed that an artificial intelligence (AI) version of him is being used by a dental agency without his knowledge or will. It is worth noting that this isn't something that is new in AI technology as deepfakes of celebrities have infiltrated multiple platforms. These range from advertisements to even adult sites, and it leaves fans with the ethical and moral questions behind the technology.

Tom Hanks took to his Instagram account, which has over 9.5 million followers, and revealed the information without disclosing the name of the agency. In the caption of the post, Hanks asked his followers to beware as there was a video that was promoting a dental plan with an AI version of him. He added that he had "nothing to do with it."

"Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deep fake technology," Hanks had said previously.

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Where Tom Hanks lies with AI- a deep dive

The Oscar-winning actor has been wary of AI technology since the beginning. He expressed concern about AI taking a massive role in the film and TV industry even before the Writers' Strike in Hollywood.

The Forrest Gump actor appeared on British comedian Adam Buxton's podcast on April 18, 2023. During the same, Tom Hanks delved deeper into his thoughts and fears about AI technology. He said that it was possible for anyone to recreate themselves at any age with AI or deep fake technology. Hanks noted that he could have been hit by a bus and with such technology, his performances "can on and on and on."

“There'll be nothing to tell you that it's not me and me alone and it's going to have some degree of lifelike quality," the actor said on the podcast.

He added that while it was an artistic challenge, it was also a legal one.

The podcast episode took place at the peak of the Hollywood Writers' Guild Strike. Tom Hanks ominously said on the podcast that they had seen it coming.

“We saw that there was going to be this ability to take zeros and ones inside a computer and turn it into a face and a character. Now that has only grown a billionfold since then, and we see it everywhere," Hanks stated.

The Cast Away actor went on to say that there were discussions taking place about the "legal ramifications" of the actors' voices and faces being their intellectual property.

“I can tell you that there [are] discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice – and everybody else’s – being our intellectual property," Tom said.

While he has not been averse to the idea of using AI in his films like A Man Called Otto or The Polar Express, Hanks marveled at the idea of how little it takes to play any role of any age with conviction just with the help of AI.

Hanks went on to say that if he wanted to do it, he could "get together and pitch" seven films with him starring in them as a young man from "now until kingdom come."

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Tom Hanks and the US Writers' Strike against AI in Hollywood

One of the main goals of the Writers' Strike has been to stop AI from undermining the creativity of writers. Tom Hanks joined and said that society stands at an “evolutionary crossroads.”

He declared his support saying that he was a member of "every guild there is" adding that he was on strike as their demands were going to have to be determined.

"Not just for the future of the bread and butter issues that affect us all, but also for the arts and sciences of motion pictures," he continued.

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It is worth noting that Tom Hanks’s next project does make use of AI. He will be working on the Robert Zemeckis-directed film Here, set to be released sometime next year. He will play younger versions of himself by using tools from an AI company called Metaphysic.