Nicolas Cage Slams AI Acting: 'Robots Can't Capture Human Essence'

Nicolas Cage has strongly criticized the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in acting, warning that allowing AI to alter performances is a "dead end" for the industry. Speaking at the Saturn Awards where he won the best actor award for his role in Dream Scenario, Cage used his acceptance speech to voice his concerns about the encroachment of AI into the creative arts.

"I have to thank Kristoffer Borgli for his direction, his writing, his editing, and for creating this incredibly disturbing but hilarious world that he dreamt up," Cage began. "But there is another world that is also disturbing me. It's happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit; an inch will eventually become a mile, and all integrity, purity, and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can't let that happen."

Cage further elaborated on the purpose of art, stating, "The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation. A robot can't do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions."

Cage is not alone in his concerns about AI's role in the arts. The issue has been particularly prominent in the voice acting community, where AI has been used to recreate entire performances, even in high-profile video games. Voice actors such as Ned Luke, known for his role in Grand Theft Auto 5, and Doug Cockle, who voiced in The Witcher, have spoken out against AI. Luke criticized a chatbot using his voice, while Cockle described AI as "inevitable" but "dangerous," echoing Luke's concerns about the potential loss of income for voice actors due to AI.

Filmmakers have also weighed in on the topic, though their opinions are not uniform. Tim Burton, a legendary director, has called AI-generated art "very disturbing," whereas Zack Snyder, director of Justice League and Rebel Moon, believes filmmakers should embrace AI rather than resist it.