By: Thomas Horvath

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) takeover has been heavily controversial, especially when it comes to the entertainment industry. One of the big reasons for the writer and actor strike last year was the usage of AI to utilize an actor or actress’ image and likeness after they passed. Besides film, the music industry is also struggling with the ethics of AI and how it’s used. Most artists agree that it is morally wrong to make music with AI using a dead singer, as they can’t, and never will, be able to consent to their voice being used. But is the usage of artificial intelligence truly unethical in the correct context?

  The reason I feel compelled to ask this question is because of parody. If you’re under the age of 25, you’ve probably seen a video on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram showing presidents of the United States playing video games or getting into some other shenanigans. A lot of people enjoy these videos, and since they’re not meant to be taken seriously, most people don’t take issue with them. This is, of course, not where the use of presidents ends in AI videos, with many videos being made being almost indistinguishable from real footage and having the presidents say slurs, make threats, and say things that could fool an older person into thinking Joe Biden actually plays Fortnite and says the n-word casually. Most people who use the internet, however, just see these as jokes, and don’t put any validity into them.

The question still stands if it’s ethical to use non-consenting people in AI generated content, and there’s likely not any right answer. Art is subjective, and while some find it offensive, others find great humor in seeing someone say something so outlandish they would never even think to say it out loud. AI is only beginning, and it may be easier to draw a line in the future on what is ethically okay and what is not, but as of now, there isn’t a clear answer on the use of AI.