Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr has vowed to sue any Hollywood studio that uses an AI-generated likeness of him without permission - even after his death.
The Oscar-winning actor, 59, says he has briefed his lawyers to take immediate action over any unauthorised digital images of himself that appear on screen. And he expects his legal team to follow his wish long after he passes by issuing posthumous lawsuits against studio bosses if they try to resurrect him using AI.
Robert, who won a best supporting actor Academy Award this year for his role as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, declared: “I would like to here state that I intend to sue all future executives just on spec.” When asked how he will do this when he is dead, he said: “But my law firm will still be very active.”
Other top stars are now expected to follow Hollywood’s highest-paid leading man, who can command £38.6million per movie and returns to the Marvel Comics universe – as arch-villain Doctor Doom – in Avengers: Doomsday, due for release in 2026.
Legal experts say some are likely to change their wills, instructing future executors of their estates to preserve their legacies by blocking any attempts to bring them back to life using AI technology.
Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks and Downey Jr’s Avengers co-star Scarlett Johansson have successfully sued two AI companies for using their “deep fake” images in online commercials.
And Game of Thrones author George RR Martin is one of 17 writers who have launched lawsuits against tech giant Open AI for using their books and scripts to train its ChatGPT programme.
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
English (US) ·