Why is everyone talking about Tom Hanks and AI?

Artificial intelligence will continue to be a hot topic in the movie world for the next few years, and now Tom Hanks has waded right into the heart of the debate. Just over a year after AI became one of the core issues at the heart of the Hollywood strikes, there's discussion happening in some quarters about whether the tech could actually be a good thing.

This debate is swirling around Hanks' new film with long-time tech innovator Robert Zemeckis. He was responsible for turning Hanks into a number of uncanny valley performance-capture characters 20 years ago in The Polar Express and has since embraced that tech for films like Beowulf and Welcome to Marwen — with varying levels of success.

His new film is Here, in which Hanks and co-star Robin Wright play the same characters all the way from their teenage years into their 80s. Much of that age manipulation comes from a new generative AI model — Metaphysic Live — which allowed the cast to see their younger performances on the day through monitors on set.

“You couldn’t have made this movie three years ago,” Zemeckis told the New York Times. “It was crucial that the cast could see it, because then they could adjust their performance. They could say: ‘Oh, I see, I’ve got to make sure I’m moving like I was when I was 17 years old.’ No one had to imagine it. They got a chance to see it in real time."

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The real inflection point for the debate, though, came from an interview with Hanks in the same New York Times piece. "This was not A.I. creating content out of whole cloth,” he said. “This is just a tool for cinema — that’s all. No different than having better film stock or a more realistic rear-screen projection for somebody driving a car."

Hanks went on to say that he thought AI could open up other roles for him as he continues to age. He said: "I read stuff all the time and I think: 'Oh, man, I’d kill to play this role, but I’m 68. I’d kill to play Iago, but I can’t because Iago’s in his 20s'."

Hanks was even open to the potential that AI could keep his face alive in Hollywood long after he dies, saying "let’s figure out the language right now". This is fascinating given the fact his co-star, Robin Wright, appeared in the 2013 movie The Congress as a version of herself who gave a studio consent to make films using a digital clone of her.

That movie frequently came up for discussion during the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which culminated in a deal that ensured some protections for both actors and writers against the rise of AI tech in the movie business. It's fair to say The Congress was intended as a cautionary tale rather than a celebration.

Read more: How AI became Hollywood's biggest on-screen bad guy (Yahoo Entertainment, 5 min read)

Now, though, Metaphysic is increasing its footprint in Hollywood, beyond their showy work in Here. The studio's tech appeared in two major releases in 2024, facilitating the return of the late Ian Holm as Ash in Alien: Romulus and allowing George Miller to include the Bullet Farmer — played by Richard Carter, who died in 2019 — in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Here as a whole, and specifically Hanks' comment, is definitely going to keep this debate aflame in the months to come. For what it's worth, critics have savaged the film to the tune of a 37% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Other actors have spoken out too, with Friends star Lisa Kudrow making damning comments about the film on the Armchair Expert podcast.

She said: "All I got from [the film] was, this is an endorsement for AI and oh my god. It’s not like ‘oh it’s going to ruin everything’, but what will be left? Forget actors, what about up-and-coming actors? They’ll just be licensing and recycling."

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Kudrow's argument was echoed widely on social media, with many users pointing out that Hanks taking advantage of the ability to play characters in their 20s means that actors in their 20s may not be able to build a legacy akin to his. If every film can include a realistic scan of Tom Hanks or Denzel Washington or Meryl Streep, how are new actors ever going to get a look-in?

Hollywood is going to have to spend the next few years grappling with how involved generative AI should be with the entertainment industry. Hanks and the controversy around Here is simply the latest flashpoint around the issue. With such an influential figure seemingly throwing his weight behind the potential of this new tech, did it just get more difficult for those who oppose AI to make their point?

Here is in UK cinemas from 17 January 2025.