succession star Sarah Snook has said “stringent rules” are needed to protect the acting industry amid the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Australian actress, best known for portraying Shiv Roy on the award-winning HBO drama, feels it would be a “huge” development if the film world “set a precedent” on how the technology is used.
Snook is among the stars who are taking part in strike action led by US actors’ union Sag-Aftra, which has raised concerns over a number of issues including pay and the use of AI.
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she said: “The main thing for me, really, that I find terrifying is the AI of it all, it’s just such uncharted landscape and we need pretty stringent rules in place in order to protect not just the acting industry.
“If we can set a precedent for other industries in regard to how AI is utilized, then that will be huge.
“I think all the deep fake stuff that’s already readily available is terrifying.
“The guy who does the Tom Cruise videos it’s uncanny.
“So, imagine then having a company who owns your image, owns your voice, creating whatever propaganda at the worst.
“There are no words that would describe how important this is right now to attend to.”
Snook became a household name starring in the hit TV series Succession, which follows the dysfunctional Roy family as they fight for control over a media empire.
The actress admitted she does have concerns that it will be hard to follow on from the show, saying: “Because of the strike, in some ways, I’ve been protected from the come down in a way just because I’ve been absolutely not working and that’s totally fine, I support the strike.
“But the fear that rests there is that when we are allowed to resume and we do get back into it, that Succession will have set this enormously high bar.”
Her next venture will see her return to the stage as she will star in a one-woman production of The Picture of Dorian Gray on the West End next year.
The actress will play 26 different characters in the show, which is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel.
She said the text has been “delicious” to work on and feels it has parallels with the obsession on personal image in modern culture.
The original novel follows a young man who has his portrait painted, and instead of ageing, he sells his soul so the painting with age rather than him.
“I feel like that’s like Instagram… We take a photo of ourselves, we put filters on ourselves, we are constantly trying to preserve this image of now but making now the future as well,” Snook said.
“There’s a real sense of celebration of youth, a desperate clinging to youth in some ways.
“I feel like that’s what Wilde was talking about back in the Victorian era, it’s kind of a bookend from then to now I think.”