- Nicolas Cage used his Saturn Awards acceptance speech to rally against the use of AI in filmmaking.
- “I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions,” Cage, 61, said.
- The use of artificial intelligence in films has been controversial, and Hollywood seems divided.
Nicolas Cage, 61, is rallying his fellow actors against the use of artificial intelligence in the filmmaking industry.
After winning best actor for his role in the dark comedy film “Dream Scenario” at the 52nd annual Saturn Awards on Sunday, Cage used his acceptance speech to voice his concerns over the potential dangers of using AI in films.
“But there is another world that is also disturbing me,” Cage said, per Variety. “It’s happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us.”
He called it a “dead end” if an actor allowed AI to manipulate their performance “even a little bit,” because “an inch will eventually become a mile, and all integrity, purity, and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only.”
Cage also said he believed that all art forms were meant to reflect the human condition — something that “robots” cannot do.
“If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush,” Cage said.
“I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions,” he said.
This is not the first time the “Longlegs” star has spoken about his concerns about AI in films.
In July, Cage told The New Yorker he was “terrified” that he would have his likeness manipulated by AI without his consent even after he dies.
“I mean, what are you going to do with my body and my face when I’m dead? I don’t want you to do anything with it!” he said.
Cage is no stranger to having his likeness manipulated for a film.
In November 2023, he told Yahoo Entertainment that his Superman cameo in “The Flash” turned out differently than he had filmed. Although he wasn’t aware of what had happened, he said he didn’t think it was AI.
A divided Hollywood
The use of AI in Hollywood has been a controversial topic in recent years and was a key issue of contention during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which lasted 118 days.
Hollywood seems to be divided on the use of AI in films.
During an appearance on “The Adam Buxton Podcast” in May 2023, Tom Hanks said that AI and deepfakes meant that he could appear as his younger self or continue appearing in films even after death.
“Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deepfake technology. Because look, I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but my performances can go on and on and on and on,” Hanks said on the podcast. “Outside the understanding of AI and deepfake, 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.”
Hanks starred in the 2024 film “Here,” which used generative AI to “de-age” him and his costar, Robin Wright, so that they could portray the same characters over a 60-year span.
Conversely, some actors, like Sean Penn, are against using AI to recreate his likeness in films.
In September 2023, Penn argued hypothetically that studio execs who want to create AI versions of him should be willing to let him do the same to their daughters.
“It’s an indecent proposal. That they would do that and not be taken to task for it is insulting. This is a real exposé on morality — a lack of morality,” Penn told Variety.
More recently, the postwar drama film “The Brutalist” — starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones — became the subject of debate when its editor, Dávid Jancsó, revealed to video tech publication Red Shark News that the production team used AI to tweak and “perfect” the two lead actors’ pronunciation so they sounded like native Hungarian speakers.
“The Brutalist” won three awards at the 2025 Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture Drama. It also secured 10 nominations for the 97th annual Academy Awards, which are scheduled for March 2.
A representative for Cage did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.
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