When your digital alter ego becomes more famous than you
It seems that Bryan Cranston, our beloved and meticulous chemistry teacher turned lord of the blue crystal, has discovered that in the parallel universe of artificial intelligence, his image was being more sought after than in any post-Breaking Bad casting. How ironic: after years perfecting the art of acting, it turns out that your digital double can star in scenes without the need for trailers, contracts or, of course, that trivial detail called payment for rights. But fear not, mortals, because OpenAI has come to the rescue with its new model Sora 2, as if it were a technological superhero, to calm the spirits of those who believed that the mass misappropriation of identities was just a Black Mirror plot.
The situation reached its most surreal point when a video began to circulate on social networks where the late Michael Jackson shared the screen with Walter White. Because, of course, what better duet than a king of pop who left us years ago and a fictional drug dealer? Technology gives us these impossible encounters, as if someone had mixed Netflix with a digital scene. Talent agencies like WME, CAA and UTA, those normally dedicated to negotiating million-dollar contracts for real-life stars, suddenly found themselves dealing with a rebellion of synthetic avatars who work for free and without complaining about the conditions on set.
The union against the machines (version 2.0)
In this dystopian panorama that mixes Blade Runner with Hollywood, SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, has had to become a kind of diplomatic corps to negotiate with our future silicon overlords. Its president, director Sean Astin (who surely never imagined that after wearing the One Ring he would have to deal with the problems of artificial intelligence), noted with remarkable elegance that performers face the “risk of massive misappropriation.” Let’s translate this from bureaucratic to Spanish: that anyone with a moderately powerful computer can clone you and make you dance the macarena if they feel like it.
But here’s the plot twist: OpenAI, in a fit of corporate conscience, has decided to implement new regulations and protections in Sora 2. Because nothing says “ethics in technology” like having to put up doors to the digital field after the horses have escaped, reproduced, and are starring in viral videos. Bryan Cranston, in a statement that could perfectly have been written by his Breaking Bad character (“Respect my territory, guys”), thanked the company for improving its security policy, although one wonders if he did it with that intense look that chilled our blood in the series.
The actor expressed with impeccable diplomacy: “I thank OpenAI for its policy and the improvement of its security measures, and I hope that they and all the companies involved in this work respect our personal and professional right to manage the reproduction of our voice and image.” Or, in other words: “It’s very good that you invent wonderful tools, but my face is not open source, gentlemen.”
Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA faces another open front with Tilly Norwood, the first actress created entirely with artificial intelligence. Imagine the situation: human actors picketing for salary increases while their digital competition doesn’t need to eat, sleep or have existential crises between takes. Norwood represents all those economic and employment risks that so many technology gurus sold us as “opportunities” while whistling looking the other way.
The most hilarious thing about this whole situation is that we need the same companies that create these disruptive technologies to protect us from their own creations. It’s like asking a magician to undo his own most spectacular trick because it scared the audience. OpenAI develops a tool capable of generating hyperrealistic videos with any living, dead or fictional person, and then implements safeguards so that we do not use said tool precisely for what it was designed for. Logic is conspicuous by its absence, such as an Elvis cameo in an AI-generated promotional video.
Astin, in a tone that mixed paternal pride with resignation, declared that “Bryan did the right thing by communicating with his union and his professional representatives to have the matter addressed.” Translation: Thank goodness someone with influence complained before they started producing the unauthorized Breaking Bad sequel starring AI versions of the entire cast.
In this circus of the absurd where technology advances faster than our ability to regulate it, one cannot help but wonder: are we witnessing the birth of a new era of unlimited creativity or simply the ultimate monetization of identity theft? The new regulations are, without a doubt, a step in the right direction, but it makes you want to laugh (or cry) to think that we need companies to protect us from the tools that they themselves sell us as revolutionary. As Walter White himself would say: “I am the danger.” And it seems that it was no joke.
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