Mark Wahlberg Says AI Belongs in Film ‘the Right Way’ and Would Let an AI Clone Carry On His Legacy

Wahlberg, who is also an entrepreneur and angel investor, said he plans to potentially use AI to enhance certain aspects of an upcoming Pete Rose biopic in which he will star in the title role. “It’s a fairly expensive movie, but we’re talking about utilizing [AI] to enhance the stadium setting, things of that nature,” he said.

He drew a line at replacing performers outright. “I don’t think you should just, you know, put an idea into ChatGPT and it puts out a script, and then you should go make that and not use real actors. But if you can use it to enhance what you’re doing, I’m all for that.”

Wahlberg said storytelling should remain at the center of filmmaking. He described having worked during a period of rapid advances in computer-generated imagery, pointing to the era of the first “Jurassic Park” and “The Perfect Storm,” whose trailer featured a 100-foot wave. “Those are cutting-edge moments in technology with computer-generated images,” he said. “Now, I think it’s hard to do that, so I’m not so passionate about effects-driven movies per se, as opposed to real storytelling.”

Asked by TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos whether he had visited the CAA Vault, a Creative Artists Agency facility that lets actors use scanning technology to capture their bodies, faces, movements and voices for AI replicas, Wahlberg said he had not, but would be open to it. “I would be interested because I think in the future, if that’s where things go, it would be cool that my children or my grandchildren could be in charge of my likeness and my image, and hopefully put me in some good movies,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see where things go.”

He said he would not be opposed to his animated series “Ted” continuing for decades with an AI version of his likeness. “I think it’s cool if I’m no longer able to do it or don’t exist, and if it could continue and people want to see it, I think it’d be interesting to see where things go,” he said.

Wahlberg added that he sees a broad future market for such material. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it. I think people are going to have massive opportunities to watch whatever it is they want, and if there’s a real audience for that, they should be entitled to have what they want to see.”