Tom Hanks warns about AI dental plan video hoax
Actor Tom Hanks posted a warning to Instagram over the weekend about an AI-generated version of him being used to promote "some dental plan" without his consent.
"There's a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me," he captioned the image on Instagram. "I have nothing to do with it."
Hanks didn't give any other information about the dental plan or the video. It isn't clear why he posted about it, but it may be to protect his likeness. Earlier this year, Hanks acknowledged that in the future, an AI-generated version of himself could appear in films he wouldn't normally choose.
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"Without a doubt people will be able to tell [that it's AI], but the question is will they care?" he asked on the Adam Buxton podcast in April. "There are some people that won't care, that won't make that delineation."
This issue of AI "replacing" actors or digitally recreating actors' likeness is one of the reasons behind the ongoing SAG strike as well.
By refuting this AI-generated video publicly, however, Hanks likely made even more people aware of it. As AI technology continues to advance, more complications such as this one will likely arise — and public figures will have to navigate the complexities that come with that.
Mashable reached out to Hanks's representation for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.
