Tom Cruise’s New Mission Impossible: Protect Actors from AI

Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise, known for doing many of his own action-packed stunts, reportedly dove headlong into the battle over labor union contracts between Hollywood studios and their actors, writers and stunt professionals.

One of the main villains: AI and how it threatens the livelihoods of Tinseltown creators and working crew.

Credit: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning trailer

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cruise joined a labor negotiation via video conference to urge Hollywood studios to hear out the union’s concerns about AI.

The union, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), called a strike following a breakdown in talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Cruise sought to convince the AMPTP to realize the need for guardrails around generative AI and its impact on the creative process.

The union allows members to join negotiating sessions and Cruise’s thoughts were deemed “worthy,” the publication said. He was reportedly the highest caliber actor to have participated.

Cruise is the subject of a series of deepfakes posted on TikTok from an account called deeptomcruise.

Cruise has been a vocal champion for the movie industry. He singlehandedly convinced studios to ensure Top Gun: Maverick was shown in theaters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. His efforts paid off as the movie grossed over $1.4 billion globally and secured six Oscar nominations.

Alongside his views on AI, Cruise is also reported to have raised concerns about the post-pandemic state of movie theatres and support for stunt actors.

SAG-AFTRA members have joined picket lines in protest against AMPTP. The actors union joined the Writer’s Guild of America which have been on strike since May – marking the first time both actors and writers have been on strike in over 60 years.

AMPTP is reported to have offered actors a proposal concerning using AI to capture their digital likeness but SAG-AFTRA is holding firm, arguing that studios want to use the deepfakes in perpetuity.

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