There are now existing AI tools that can generate realistic videos, and we are not far off with artificial intelligence being able to create or recreate humans for certain roles. However, just because it's possible, it doesn't mean that it will effectively take the place of human actors.
1. Uniqueness of Each Actor
One of the reasons why some actors stand out from the rest is because they have unique attributes that others don't have. Some are known for their facial expressions like Jim Carrey, vocal inflections and delivery like Morgan Freeman, and other micro-movements that cannot be recreated genuinely with AI.
2. Improvisation
There are a lot of scenes in movies that have gained attention, mostly because they are epic, but sometimes, it's also due to the fact the that actor improvised. For example, the iconic line by Robert De Niro in "Taxi Driver" where he repeatedly said: "You talkin' to me?" was actually improvised, and it's still being referenced even now.
3. Chemistry
You know that the movie would be good if the interacting actors had chemistry. A lot of love stories and action movies failed because the artists in them lacked that factor. This is something that would be difficult, if not impossible to recreate with AI. Knowing that people in a scene are AI-generated alone could make it feel artificial.
4. Ethical Issues
Perhaps one of the biggest problems that the industry would face would be ethical concerns. Creating an AI human from the ground up would still mean that a job would be taken away from a human actor, and using AI to recreate the likeness of a famous artist could also raise concerns, especially about what they would do with the generated likeness.
5. Physicality
There's only so much AI can do to make a generated human image seem more, well, human. There's nothing more realistic than actual people taking on roles. Even if they make advancements in motion capture, it still won't be able to pick up everything like the subtle nuances of human movement, which add to the appeal of film and shows.
6. Live Theater
Even if viewers can settle for AI-generated or motion-capture content, AI will never be able to replace live theater. The raw emotion from the actors alone is what makes the show alive, and let's not forget that no matter how advanced AI can be, we still don't have the technology to create a live presence on stage.
7. Appealing to a Fanbase
As actors take on more roles, they tend to build a fanbase that would also watch their other works. This is why A-list actors get more roles since their names alone could encourage people to watch even a movie with a ridiculous premise. With AI, that factor would no longer be present and producers will have a harder time enticing people to watch.
8. Oversaturated Industry
One of the advantages of generative AI is that it takes out most of the work since it can create images and videos with little supervision and effort. However, that can also be a downside since it can oversaturate the market. When there are simply too many options due to overproduction, some might be left unnoticed or people will become disinterested over time.
