Constantly Keeping Up To Date With The Evolving Legal Situations
As Artificial Intelligence technologies are only in their initial stages, the lawmakers are playing a catch-up game as of 2026. Amongst the ways that performers can do their best to protect their interests is to engage with actors' unions, e.g., SAG-AFTRA, as they are the ones negotiating legal protections against unauthorized use of AI technologies and other unfair business practices regarding it.
As unions and other organisations set precedents with agreements that provide stronger protections for digital rights and the following compensations, it is up to the individual performers themselves to further learn and figure out how to proceed with this new frontier of acting. While some artists want nothing to do with AI technologies, others do view it as another opportunity to expand their reach.
Amongst the biggest concerns is the unauthorized use of AI-generated digital replicas of a performer’s digital visual or vocal likeness for commercial purposes. In the past year of 2025, a headline capturing news was about the “AI actor” Tilly Norwood, which is a character created using generative Artificial Intelligence, and was attempted to be promoted as the first of the next generation of performers. Understandably, it received a huge negative criticism, especially after talent agencies expressed interest in receiving rights to represent this character. Amongst the critics opposing the use of such AI-created characters were such Hollywood stars as Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds, and Emily Blunt.
It is certainly a source for debate, and not everyone is against their likenesses being used with Artificial Intelligence. For example, famous actors like Matthew McConaughey, Jeff Bridges, and Michael Caine, amongst others, have officially licensed their likeness for this brand new use. It can be a lucrative opportunity that requires minimal effort at most from performers. Yet, such licensing agreements are also prone to fall into various current loopholes - various lesser-known actors have expressed their regrets about such decisions, as their likeness can end up promoting questionable, or even downright harmful, products and messages.
Continuing To Work On Evolving As Performers
In the midst of all the craze within the industry caused by Artificial Intelligence technologies, it is important that performers of any level continue to focus on the things they can actually control.
As AI technologies currently can only try to replicate existing visuals, there is still a more or less obviously visible difference between their generated content and actual, authentic human actor performance. There will probably be many disclosure laws that require immediate reveals where AI is being used, thus increasing the likelihood of fatigue and even negative stigma about such commercial content, resulting in increased demand for authentic performances by real human beings.
This is exactly why, instead of only trying to leverage the situation from a tech perspective, actors should continue to work and evolve as performers the same as during the prior eras, when AI was not amongst the various concerns lurking when working in show business. As of 2026, Artificial Intelligence is simply not able to duplicate the nuanced acting performances that professional actors can with their emotional depth and ability to improvise on the spot.
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Learning How To Use AI For Their Own Benefit
Regardless of how one may feel about AI becoming a part of daily life, one thing is crystal clear - these technologies won’t be going away anytime soon. This is exactly why, instead of shunning them completely, actors can opt to use AI technologies for their own performance improvement goals.
These digital tools can be used to get instant analysis about acting performances, given that they are previously recorded, including specific and detailed feedback about their timing, rhythm, dynamics, emotional expression, voice modulation, facial expressions, and body language. By using this unbiased feedback, actors can look to improve on specific aspects within their performance before appearing in front of casting directors. Similarly, AI tools can be used for rehearsal to practice lines, monologues, and scenes without the need to schedule an actual training partner.
Actors can also learn to understand how AI algorithms analyze acting portfolio information, headshots, and demo reels, to be able to leverage their own digital information and increase their chances of being greenlit by these new technologies. While it is all new to almost everyone involved within the industry, those who are proactive in remaining updated will also be the ones who, going forward, will increase their chances at continued success as actors.
