Harrison Ford has shared his trepidation on the rise of AI in entertainment. The legendary actor, who plays the US President in Marvel’s upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, recently spoke out about how he believes artificial intelligence steals people’s souls. In an interview with WSJ, Ford was asked about the 2024 video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, in which actor Troy Baker provides voice and performance capture as Indiana Jones. “You don’t need artificial intelligence to steal my soul,” Ford says. “You can already do it for nickels and dimes with good ideas and talent. He did a brilliant job and it didn’t take AI to do it.” Ford’s tongue-in-cheek reply touches on the worrying trend of AI in creative endeavors.
Earlier this week, X users accused Marvel of using AI on one of its posters for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Marvel responded, with a spokesperson denying AI was used in any capacity. Still, you can’t blame people for being on the lookout. In 2023, Marvel’s Disney+ series Secret Invasion implemented AI for its opening credits, while more recently, one of the Best Picture frontrunners at the Oscars, The Brutalist, used AI to tweak some of star Adrien Brody‘s dialogue to sound more Hungarian. Ford has nothing to worry about with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, however, as it continues the critically acclaimed adventures of Indy.
Thankfully, it seems Marvel didn’t use AI in Captain America: Brave New World either, relying instead on good old-fashioned human craftsmanship. That’s how Ford is able to transform into a raging Red Hulk, who is basically like the regular Hulk except he’s even more furious and burns everything he touches. Ford doesn’t start out mad in the movie, though; he plays Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, who transforms into Red Hulk for an as-yet unknown reason, joining the ranks of Hulks that currently include three characters. First, there’s Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo. Then came Tatiana Maslany‘s first female Hulk in 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and in the same series, Hulk’s son Skaar debuted.
Ford was asked by On Demand Entertainment if he had spoken with Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo before taking on the role. “He wasn’t available for a consultation. I just had to wing it. I hope he’s not disappointed.” The only one disappointed will be Ford if someone pitches him a movie that involves AI. His comments underscore a growing sentiment in Hollywood: the importance of genuine human creativity in an age increasingly informed by technology.
