6 celebrities hitting back at AI companies: from Taylor Swift’s ‘furious’ reaction to her explicit deepfakes, to Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Silverman and Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin’s lawsuits
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Through the years, great minds from Elon Musk to Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates have aired their concerns about the power of AI to potentially disrupt – and eventually maybe even end – our lives. But for some celebrities, the consequences are already very real.
![AI-created versions of Drake’s vocals were used to cover Ice Spice’s “Munch” without his consent. Photos: @champagnepapi, @_ice_spice_munch_/Instagram](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/b92d11f5-c48e-45f2-98da-2877aae6c7f2_de019856.jpg)
And women in the entertainment industry have had it even worse: most recently, explicit, computer-generated images of Taylor Swift went viral before platforms like X and Instagram could take them down.
So which famous faces are standing up to the AI companies? Here’s a rundown of six of them.
1. Scarlett Johansson
![Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow. Photo: Disney](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/db948505-78b1-434b-bf74-0acca60277e2_2b6fa22e.jpg)
“We do not take these things lightly,” her lawyer told Variety. “Per our usual course of action … we will deal with it with all legal remedies that we will have.” The ad has since been removed.
2. Sarah Silverman
![US comedian Sarah Silverman attends the For Your Consideration red carpet event for the Showtime series Who is America in May 2019, in Los Angeles. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/3ae4d3d6-fb9c-4ed0-a15e-a251a908631f_fd7630eb.jpg)
3. Tom Hanks
![Tom Hanks attends the Elvis UK special screening at BFI Southbank in London, England, in May 2022. Photo: Shutterstock](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/b80ec31f-43db-4875-9a88-58762907129c_9f7a15fc.jpg)
![Tom Hanks told his followers to “beware” an AI video promoting a dental plan. Photo: @tomhanks/Instagram](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/9396ad65-02ac-444e-b7f0-27d171fd50aa_53ad98c6.jpg)
4. George R.R. Martin
![Co-executive producer George R.R. Martin arrives for the season premiere of HBO’s Game of Thrones in San Francisco, California, in March 2015. Photo: Reuters](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/2eb98010-4124-4d9a-ba20-60e5abc03e9c_2bb7c975.jpg)
The author behind HBO mega hit Game of Thrones is one of 17 writers attempting to sue OpenAI for using their books to train its ChatGPT programme.
The lawsuit says that ChatGPT has been prompted to create a “detailed outline for a prequel book to A Game of Thrones … using the same characters from Martin’s existing books in the series”, according to The Register.
Per Variety, the authors are seeking financial damages to the tune of US$150,000 per infringed work.
5. George Carlin’s estate
![Actor and comedian George Carlin posing in a New York hotel in 2004. Photo: AP Photo](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/f1cd5ec8-a74d-4482-b476-757bf59d64c4_4919813d.jpg)
Now his estate is suing the AI video’s creator, Dudesy, per The Guardian. The actor’s daughter Kelly called the special “a poorly executed facsimile” attempting to “capitalise on the extraordinary goodwill my father established with his adoring fan base”.
6. Taylor Swift
![Taylor Swift performs as part of the Eras Tour at the Tokyo Dome, on February 7, in Tokyo. Photo: AP Photo](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/02/29/8618db31-9838-40d6-88a2-7c7d0703bbe1_0ca3f33b.jpg)
According to British media, a source close to the singer said she was “furious” and considering legal action, though it’s not yet clear who against.
“These fake AI-generated images are abusive, offensive, exploitative and done without Taylor’s consent and/or knowledge,” the source said. “The door needs to be shut on this.”
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- When Tom Hanks seemed to endorse an obscure dental plan online, the Elvis actor was as confused as his fans, and took matters into his own hands on Instagram
- Even worse, the family of late comedian and Disney voice-over actor George Carlin were horrified to discover a new stand-up special online given that he’d died in 2008 – and decided to sue