Aktor PH condemns misuse of AI in storytelling

The League of Filipino Actors, or Aktor PH, released a statement condemning the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in films, series, and "human storytelling."

The group said that the improper use of AI would slowly replace actors and performers "and weaken the place of human artistry in storytelling."

Aktor said that the face and voice of a performer is part of their identity and intellectual property, so improper use of AI is a concern.

"When real performance is replaced by artificial intelligence, storytelling loses authenticity and the cultural voice actors carry is diminished," the group said.

"Performance is not just an image on screen, but the human presence behind it. An actor's face and voice are extensions of their intellectual property and identity, and the careless unauthorized use of it raises serious legal concerns."

As performers, the group calls on producers, policymakers, platforms, and technology developers to establish "safeguards that protect creative labor."

"We advocate for stronger intellectual property protections for artists and creators, clear standards and updated contracts recognizing digital likeness rights, and an educational environment that helps audiences develop a critical and discerning understanding of media in the age of Al," Aktor said.

"We remain defenders of our craft, and we remain committed to a creative industry that chooses human performance over imitation and truth over convenience," they added.

In Oscar Oida's report on "24 Oras," Wednesday, AI cybersecurity expert Dominic Ligot said AI generators like Seedance 2.0. allow users to write and create realistic movie scenes.

"I feel na ibang level na 'to," he said.

"Ang naglalaban naman diyan is on the one hand, dinemocratize mo na 'yung tool. Anyone can use it pero that's also where the risk is kasi since kahit sino na lang pwede gumawa and the effort is pretty low. Mataas din 'yung chance na people will use it for many things like fraud, identity theft, politics, 'yan 'yung kinakatakutan ng mga tao just like any digital media or creative tool. Mahirap na din siya ma-detect."

Ligot said that known personalities are most vulnerable to identity theft as their image can be used in scams, fake endorsements, and the like.

The Walt Disney Company also filed a cease-and-desist letter against ByteDance regarding Seedance 2.0. According to Reuters, the company has been using characters from "Star Wars" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe without authorization.

Meanwhile, ByteDance told BBC that they will strengthen safeguards to avoid copyrighted characters and personalities in Seedance 2.0.

Ligot said that the government is banning and blocking users, "which is delikado rin 'no, kasi if you're banning and blocking, number one, pine-penalize mo 'yung mga users na benign because of some people who are using it for bad things."

"Walang pinagiba 'yan sa sabihin you're gonna ban the internet or you're gonna ban Photoshop. Hindi naman puwede rin 'no, so I think 'yun 'yung balancing act na kailangan natin diyan sa mga bagay 'yan," he added.

In the end, it is still up to users to use technology properly.

"'Yung konteksto pa rin—nagpapatawa ka lang ba talaga or meron ka bang pinalalabas? And again, that is beyond a matter of opinion. Beyond a certain level, propagandist ka na, diyan ka mag-iingat," Ligot said.

"The moment you start using mga Hollywood actors, mga journalist, artista, even if it's for fun. Lalo na politicians, I think we should be very careful about that." —Nika Roque/MGP, GMA Integrated News