Every major technological revolution brings unpredictable, hard-to-accept consequences, often only recognised 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 around how to protect themselves from it.
Javier Bardem has repeatedly spoken out about his rejection of this technology because of what he sees as its vast capacity to manipulate reality. He has therefore joined Cate Blanchett and other Hollywood stars including 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 register the degree of consent they give for their face, voice, movements or even ideas to be transformed by AI.
The platform, of which Blanchett is a co-founder alongside 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 sign up to verify their identity and state their level of consent, organised into three colour-coded tiers: green, permitted; yellow, use allowed under certain conditions, such as payment; and red, prohibited. In this way it creates a database of practical information that machines can use 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 therefore there should be infrastructure where it can be recorded in a tangible and transparent way. This would give 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 approved as the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for AI.
“To find a path between unbridled enthusiasm and the dangers of AI, we need consent-based safeguards. Not to hold back technological progress, God 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 with 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
The actress and the filmmaker joined MEP Eva Maydell for a discussion with legal advisers, filmmakers, musicians, lawmakers and leaders from the business sector, where some representatives of the tech industry voiced concerns that this kind of project could weaken Europe’s tech sector compared with rival industries in other countries.
Director Steven Soderbergh was unequivocal. “This is not a law, it’s not a restriction; it’s a persuasive mechanism to do the right thing in a simple, elegant way,” he said. On the dangers of AI, Soderbergh added: “There are a lot of things AI cannot do and never will, and that’s why I’m not scared. But people do need some sort of direction.”
A path opened up by these major stars that now looks clearer for millions of creators.
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