“I intend to sue all future executives”: RDJ doesn’t have kind words about AI

Tony Stark may be Riri Williams’ AI but that doesn’t mean Robert Downey Jr. is down for Hollywood to turn him into one. Truly. He said alive or dead, he’ll find a way to get revenge if they even try. And you have to give it to him.

Robert Downey Jr. was on an episode of the “On With Kara Swisher” podcast and he started to talk about the use of AI in Hollywood. One thing he made clear was that he did not condone anyone now or in the future using his likeness through AI to make a character.

“I intend to sue all future executives,” he said. The conversation was about the future for his work and AI. When asked about the idea of an executive one day saying they’d recreate him with the technology, Downey made it clear that he wasn’t for it. “There’s two tracks. How do I feel about everything that’s going on? I feel about it minimally because I have an actual emotional life that’s occurring that doesn’t have a lot of room for that.”

He made sure to clarify that he didn’t think the people in charge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would ever do that to him. “To go back to the MCU, I am not worried about them hijacking my character’s soul because there’s like three or four guys and gals who make all the decisions there anyway and they would never do that to me, with or without me,” he added.

But when host Kara Swisher pointed out that he may be dead when the time comes and won’t know an executive did that to him, he made an iconic retort: He may be dead “But my law firm will still be very active.”

Let’s keep the AI to the fictional world

I do think it is interesting that Hollywood executives continue to miss the point when it comes to AI. We don’t want computer animated Robert Downey Jr. in a project. We want actual Downey in it. Thinking about Ironheart and how she makes Tony her AI excites me not because of an AI version of Downey but because he can be (and should be) played by the actor himself. Do you get it?

I think Hollywood executives see this technology and think they can just apply it to actors who have played roles and bring those characters back whether or not the actor is alive or dead. Personally, I’d rather a new actor take on the role. I do not want to see a world where an AI Harrison Ford brings us a young Indiana Jones story. I’d rather a new actor take on the mantle.

Downey making it clear that living or dead, he’s not allowing someone to use his likeness through AI is great. He has been working to help fix the climate crisis and AI is a huge part of the problem with climate change so Downey not condoning the use of it is on theme with his other work. But honestly, if your go to thought is to use AI to make a movie…maybe you shouldn’t be in charge of making movies. At least we have Downey’s threat to keep AI away from him.