James Woods Warns About AI’s Impact on Hollywood

Oscar-nominated actor James Woods has raised concerns about artificial intelligence in the film industry, asserting it’s not just a trend but a potential threat to human actors.

“AI is the end of human actors. I’m adamant about this,” Woods stated during an appearance on “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade” on Sunday.

He mentioned that when new technologies arise, many dismiss them initially. Woods reminisced about how, when television emerged, there were claims it would never replace films. “People said, ‘Oh, it’s a fad,'” he recalled.

Woods expressed that movie studios might soon aim to streamline operations by eliminating actors’ agents and fancy contracts in favor of AI-generated performances. Yet, he warned there are hurdles to overcome.

“That doesn’t work [currently],” he noted. There’s a connection people have with established stars like Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep. “We’ve grown up with them,” he said. He worries that future audiences, raised on computer-generated actors, might not form the same attachments.

Woods referenced Moore’s Law, which suggests that computing power doubles roughly every 18 months. He believes this acceleration suggests a very near future where such realistic representations are commonplace.

He argued that these advancements could enable filmmakers to produce content more rapidly and cheaply. Reflecting on past innovations, he cited how, when Steven Spielberg released the original “Jurassic Park,” viewers were in awe of the effects. “In five years, 14-year-old kids will be doing this on Macintoshes,” he predicted. “It’s fascinating how quickly things can evolve.”