Reese Witherspoon Says Women Need to Be ‘Involved in AI’

The topic of AI and its use within the entertainment industry has been at the center of controversy for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that many creatives are against its use. Some believe that it could cost many people their jobs, because if a studio or network believes that AI can be used to polish up a screenplay or smooth out some CGI, they’ll have no problem using the tool as a cost-cutting measure. Several big players in the industry have come out against it, but actor and producer Reese Witherspoon doesn’t think it’s going away — and also she believes that women need to be involved in order to stay ahead.

During a chat with Glamour Magazine to promote the latest season of The Morning Show, Witherspoon said that, as a producer, she has to be on top of how the industry is evolving, and she thinks women in particular need to pay attention to how things are changing, especially with AI. As she put it, she has to be “Looking forward to how media is evolving and how I can help be part of bringing women along in those emerging industries. And now we’re doing it with AI.” She went on to explain that it’s important for women to be a part of this movement in order to maintain a voice in a rapidly changing industry.

“It’s so, so important that women are involved in AI because it will be the future of filmmaking. And you can be sad and lament it all you want, but the change is here. It will never be a lack of creativity and ingenuity and actual physical manual building of things. It might diminish, but it’s always going to be the highest importance in art and in expression of self.”

Scenes from “The End of the World” episode of Big Little Lies 
HBO

While Witherspoon has done positive things for women in the industry by spearheading projects such as Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, and the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, some have taken to social media to express their belief that she’s a bit tone-deaf on this particular matter. AI has divided the industry in a major way, with some heavyweights, like James Cameron, believing it could be an effective cost-cutting tool for big-budget movies, while stars like Scarlett Johansson have been vocal on more than one occasion about why it would be hurtful to the profession and has even gotten her legal team involved to go after companies using AI to recreate her likeness. There is a fear that the heads of studios will start to believe it could take the place of human creativity.

That being said, even people outside the industry have pushed back against Witherspoon’s comments. While it’s easy to understand where she’s coming from, there’s definitely more than one side to this argument — as evidenced by the comments below, which represent just a small part of the discourse. Given that the technology that’s being debated is still in its relative infancy, this debate won’t be ending anytime soon.

Headshot Of Reese Witherspoon In The 49th AFI Life Achievement Award

Birthname

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon

Birthdate

March 22, 1976

Birthplace

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

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