"Super Mario Bros." star Jack Black is feeling positive about the future with artificial intelligence, even with lingering concerns over the technology in the industry.
"It’s so new that it’s hard to really say what the future holds, but I don’t have all doom and gloom," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don’t feel like, ‘Oh no, it’s going to be like Terminator where it comes and destroys all the human jobs.’ I’m not convinced about that because I can admit, I don’t know, and I’m hoping that it’s going to be a great new world and that it’s going to be a tool that all of us can use to make ourselves better and make the world better."
He added, "How about it saves the world? How about that possibility? I [have] huge hope, because we could use some saving in some ways, too. Maybe it’ll cure cancer. Maybe it’ll perfect space travel. Maybe it’ll do some things that we can’t even imagine that are great."
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
At the time of Black's interview, the SAG-AFTRA strike had recently come to an end, though the contract had not been ratified yet, with Black telling the outlet, "It was a huge relief, and it was great to finally get a deal in place."
Artificial intelligence was a key issue in negotiations, specifically the consent for use of actors’ likenesses for digital replicas or manipulation.
"I can’t imagine it’s not going to pass, though, because nobody wants to go back and strike more, but it’s not the perfect deal," Black admitted.
The "School of Rock" star continued, "I guess there are still some people in the union that are concerned about AI, and there’s just no way you’re going to get rid of all the concerns about AI because there’s no way to stop AI in some ways. It’s coming."
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SAG-AFTRA ratified the contract on Dec. 5, and it will expire on June 30, 2026.
According to a summary of the new contract on the union’s website, employers must obtain "clear and conspicuous" consent from performers before creating "digital replicas" of them for a project and pay them for the time they would have otherwise worked in person.
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For his part, Black has plenty to be optimistic about this year. His breakout song, "Peaches," for the "Super Mario Bros." movie earned him a Golden Globe nomination, alongside collaborators Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond and John Spiker. The film was also nominated for best motion picture, animated, and cinematic and box office achievement.
"It was a real thrill to see it, to get into the ears and minds of people all around the world," Black said of the 95-second song, which peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and hit No. 6 on Billboard’s Digital Songs Sales chart.
"I’d never really had that kind of an impact before in that space," he continued. "I’m in a band [Tenacious D] and we’ve had lots of fun touring the world and playing music for years, but it hits different when you’ve got a bona fide hit that’s gone viral like that. And it was crazy. Everywhere I looked on social media, there was ‘Peaches’ and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s me.’ There’s a little burst of pride when you are part of the zeitgeist, as they like to say."
