Mark Wahlberg on using AI in film ‘the right way’ and being open to an AI clone carrying on his legacy

Even as Hollywood remains divided over the use of AI in filmmaking, actor and director Mark Wahlberg believes the technology has a place in the industry as long as it’s used the right way.

Wahlberg, who’s also an entrepreneur and angel investor, took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt to share his perspective on AI’s role in filmmaking, and how he’s open to having an AI likeness of himself carry on his legacy.

The actor said he plans to potentially use AI to enhance certain aspects of the upcoming Pete Rose biopic, in which he’ll star in the title role.

“It’s a fairly expensive movie, but, we’re talking about utilizing [AI] to enhance the stadium setting, things of that nature,” Wahlberg said. “I don’t think you should just, you know, put an idea into ChatGPT and it puts out a script, and then you should go make that and not use real actors. But if you can use it to enhance what you’re doing, I’m all for that.”

That said, Wahlberg made special mention of his belief that storytelling should remain at the heart of filmmaking.

“I’ve done big, effects-driven movies,” Wahlberg said. “I think I was in that kind of sweet spot when the first Jurassic Park was made, or when Perfect Storm came out, and you had that wave, the 100-foot wave that was in the trailer. Those are cutting-edge moments in technology with computer-generated images. Now, I think it’s hard to do that, so I’m not so passionate about effects-driven movies per se, as opposed to real storytelling.”

When asked by TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos whether he had visited the CAA Vault, a Creative Artists Agency facility which lets actors use scanning technology to capture their bodies, faces, movements and voices to create AI replicas, Wahlberg said he hadn’t, but would be open to the idea.

“I would be interested because I think in the future, if that’s where things go, it would be cool that my children or my grandchildren could be in charge of my likeness and my image, and hopefully put me in some good movies,” Wahlberg said. “It’ll be interesting to see where things go.”

He even said he wouldn’t be opposed if his upcoming animated series, “Ted,” continued for decades with an AI version of his likeness.

“I think it’s cool if I’m no longer able to do it or don’t exist, and if it could continue and people want to see it, I think it’d be interesting to see where things go,” Wahlberg said. “I think there’s certain things from my childhood that I wish still existed and were still a part of my life […] I wouldn’t be opposed to it. I think people are going to have massive opportunities to watch whatever it is they want, and if there’s a real audience for that, they should be entitled to have what they want to see.”