Comedian Eric Idle says performers ‘ought to protect ourselves' from AI fakes
He told PA: 'I think it is a very interesting point, and we ought to have protected ourselves by copyrighting our images, I know my wife is very concerned about that.
'She's going to copyright my image, I won't be there, so I don't really give a…'
The rise of AI has seen numerous fake videos appearing to feature well-known celebrities on social media, while other incidents have seen their work digitally recreated.
Last year, Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson said she was 'shocked' and 'angered' at how 'eerily similar' one of the voices on AI platform ChatGPT sounded to hers.
In response, the platform's operator OpenAI said it will 'pause' the use of one of the voices.
Idle said the technology is 'actually not bad' at copying work by old artists such as The Beatles to make a new version, but he felt it could 'only copy' and not create.
He added: 'I was with Professor Brian (Cox), the other night, and he asked it to write a Python sketch, and it was shit, completely unfunny.
'It mentioned a few things which obviously it picked up from Python, but it couldn't put them together in a new and funny manner, and I think that's the weakness with AI.
'I think Stephen Fry says you could ask it to do your World War One story, it could tell you how many bullets were used and how many people were killed, and all what happened every day, but it couldn't tell you as much as a Wilfred Owen poem could tell you in one minute or two, or 14 lines.
'I don't think that it makes much difference with a lot of American television because it's just churned out.
'But I think it can't be Robin Williams. I think it can't be Billy Connolly, I think it can't be Spike Milligan, I think it can't be the really creative comedians.
'So I don't think it can come up with that because what they do, they're doing it out of their own personalities.'
The comedian will return to the UK in September for a solo tour at venues including London's Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Glasgow's Armadillo.
He will pay tribute to late friends George Harrison, Williams and Neil Innes, and perform with a virtual band.
He is best known for his appearances in the Monty Python's Flying Circus TV series alongside Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, and its spin-off films Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975), Life Of Brian (1979) and The Meaning Of Life (1983).
Idle also created Beatles parody band The Rutles with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's Innes, which featured in two mockumentaries in All You Need Is Cash (1978) and The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch (2003).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
20 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Netflix admits it used AI to make ‘amazing' scene in hit TV show – but did YOU spot it?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NETFLIX has admitted to using generative AI to create visual effects in a new original TV show - are you able to spot it? The streaming giant confirmed the move in its latest earnings call, with co-CEO Ted Sarandos saying they traded in traditional VFX for generative AI in one scene. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The Eternaut began airing on Netflix in April Credit: Netflix Doing so was not only faster, but much cheaper than outsourcing the shot to a traditional VFX house, Engadget first reported. Creators of the sci-fi Netflix original, The Eternaut, wanted a collapsing building sequence to anchor a key moment in the story. But to detail such a scene would have required VFX that was apparently out of budget for the Argentine post-apocalyptic drama. "Using AI-powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed," Sarandos said. READ MORE ON AI PER-FUMING Gobsmacked Molly-Mae targeted by AI scam as she issues warning to fans "In fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with... traditional VFX tools and workflows." Sarandos added that the shot "just wouldn't have been feasible for a show on that budget." Generative AI, or Gen AI, is a type of artificial intelligence that can create text, images, music, and videos from prompts given to it by humans. This content can be in all kinds of style - cartoonish, or even hyper-realistic, and therefore difficult to distinguish from real life. Netflix has reportedly got plans to roll out AI-generated adverts for ad-tier subscribers in 2026. The company is also testing a new search feature powered by OpenAI models, according to Bloomberg. Hugely popular Netflix show is ENDING after seven years – leaving fans devastated But The Eternaut marks a milestone, becoming "the very first Gen AI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film," Sarandos said. The shift towards generative AI is already happening within Hollywood. Films like 10-time Oscar nominee The Brutalist and Late Night with the Devil faced backlash for even light AI involvement. The issue is already on the radar of SAG-AFTRA, a union whose members went on strike against AI use in video games last summer. "The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games," SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, said at the time. "That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the AI use of their faces, voices and bodies."
Glasgow Times
20 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow's Piece to sell £1 sandwiches to celebrate birthday
The Glasgow chain's Byres Road café will be selling all of their pieces for just £1 from 12pm on Wednesday, July 23. All proceeds will be donated to charity the Simon Community, who work support those at risk of or experiencing homelessness. READ NEXT: Coffee shop to close and reopen as American-style diner In a post shared on Instagram, bosses wrote: "To celebrate our 17th birthday, on July 23 from noon till we sell out/have a mild breakdown, we are flinging open our shutters at Byres Road and selling all our pieces for one pound." They added: "If yer no fast yer last, if yer no there yer square etc." The event will only take place at Piece on Byres Road, and there will be no delivery or click and collect from the store. Other shops will be open as usual.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix blow as bosses have 'no appetite for anything new'
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix contract is coming to an end and it's said the streaming giants have no intention of renewing the bumper deal Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Netflix dream is to come to an abrupt end, according to reports. While the Sussexes might have been hoping for a contract renewal, it appears the streaming giants have different ideas. Despite the former Suits star, 43, having "everything going for her," it seems as though ratings of her shows simply didn't cut it for those in the hot seat. It's claimed her viewing figures for With Love, Meghan were "dismal" with her lifestyle show failing to break into the top 300 Netflix programmes list in the first half of this year. To make matters worse, Meghan's flop even saw legal drama Suits place higher than her own creation. And Harry's own offering, a documentary on Polo, ranked in at 3,436 out of 7,000 shows. In six months, the project was only watched 500,000 times. Despite a second series of Meghan's solo series being ordered as part of their monster $100million deal, it's said there won't be any more after that. Their huge contract is set to expire this year and a source has said: "This deal is dead." According to the Mail, the source claimed: "'She had everything going for her—name, platform, press—and the numbers were dismal. "They're just waiting for the credits to roll. They're letting it expire without drama. There's no appetite for anything new." The opinion was seemingly backed up by former executive editor of the American edition of Ok! magazine, Rob Shuter, too. He claimed the streaming giant will not offer them a new contract once it concludes, confessing: "The interest just isn't there anymore. They went from buzzy to background noise." With Love, Meghan's figures were released earlier this year after the show first aired in March. The release date for the series was delayed two months due to the California wildfires. However, the delay didn't seem to drum up any further attention, leaving Meghan's Netflix career in limbo. The project saw the Duchess share cookery and hosting tips as well as invite a string of pals to join her as she demonstrated her secret hacks around the kitchen. But much to the disappointment of those involved, figures showed it was watched 5.3million times and in the ranking of the most watched shows, it came 383rd. At the top of the ranking board in the same time period was the hit drama Adolescence, which had 145million views. Second place saw Squid Game with 117million views. Harry makes just one appearance in the series, coming at the end of the first season's final episode. In the footage, the prince joins Meghan, her mother Doria Ragland and friends for an outdoor celebratory brunch. Meghan said it 'feels like a new chapter that I'm so excited that I get to share and I've been able to learn from all of you', in what is likely to be seen as a nod to the restrictions she felt within the royal family.
