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Every major technological revolution brings unpredictable consequences that are hard to come to terms with, even when it is already too late to act. In the case of unstoppable artificial intelligence, the debate among artists no longer revolves around whether it should exist or be used, but on how to protect themselves from it.
Javier Bardem has repeatedly made public his rejection of this technology because, in his view, it has an enormous capacity to manipulate reality. He has therefore joined Cate Blanchett and other Hollywood stars such as Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Helen Mirren, Kristen Stewart, George Clooney, Viola Davis and Tom Hanks in backing a new online tool where any artist can record the extent of their consent to their face, voice, movements or even ideas being transformed by AI.
The platform, which Blanchett co-founded with Nikki Hexum, Doug Leeds and Eckart Walther, is called rslmedia.org and acts as a human consent identifier.
Artists or content creators simply have to register to verify their identity and state their level of consent, set out in three colour-coded tiers: green, permitted; yellow, use under certain conditions, such as payment; and red, forbidden. This creates a database of practical information that can be used by machines on a large scale.
Identity as intellectual property
Ultimately, this non-profit website is based on the principle that human identity is also a form of intellectual property and that there therefore needs to be an infrastructure where it can be recorded in a tangible and transparent way. This gives AI companies access to a tool that complements emerging regulatory frameworks.
This is how Australian actor Cate Blanchett presented the initiative on Tuesday at the European Parliament, where in 2024 the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act was adopted as the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for AI.
“To find a path between unbridled enthusiasm and the dangers of AI, we need safeguards based on consent. Not to prevent technological progress, heaven forbid, but safeguards that can evolve at scale and at the same pace as the technology itself. Safeguards that protect our human rights,” Blanchett said. She attended the event alongside film director Steven Soderbergh, known as the creator of films such as the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ saga (2001), ‘Erin Brockovich’ (2000) and ‘Presence’ (2004).
A persuasive mechanism
Both the actor and the film-maker joined MEP Eva Maydell for a discussion with legal advisers, film-makers, musicians, lawmakers and leaders from the business sector, where some representatives of the tech industry voiced reservations that such projects might undermine Europe’s technology sector compared with industries in rival countries.
Director Steven Soderbergh was clear on this point. “This is not a law, it is not a restriction; it is a persuasive mechanism to do the right thing in a simple and elegant way,” he said. On the dangers of AI, Soderbergh added: “There are a lot of things that AI cannot do and never will, and that is why I am not afraid, but people need some kind of direction.”
A path opened up by these major stars that now looks clearer for millions of creators.