Ashton Kutcher Slammed For Touting Cost-Cutting Benefits of Using AI for Film & TV

The That 70's Show actor revealed in a recent conversation with Google CEO Eric Schmidt that he had been testing out AI video tools, saying he believes he has created footage good enough for film and television.

"Instead of watching some movie that somebody else came up with, I can just generate and then watch my own movie," he said of the beta version of OpenAI's generative video tool Sora, before going one further and explained the financial benefits of using the tools for actual Hollywood productions.

"Why would you go out and shoot an establishing shot of a house in a television show when you could just create the establishing shot for $100? To go out and shoot it would cost you thousands of dollars," he insisted.

"Action scenes of me jumping off of this building, you don't have to have a stunt person go do it -- you could just go do it [with AI]," he added, before explaining how he used AI to create a shot of someone escaping a sandstorm. "I didn't have to hire a CGI department to do it," he added, "I, in five minutes, rendered a video of an ultramarathoner running across the desert being chased by a sandstorm. And it looks exactly like that."

Kutcher's comments sparked outrage online with many film fans and those working in the industry. One film producer called Kutcher "shortsighted" and "self-centered" for making the comments, which they believe will lead to cut jobs.

Others also insulted Kutcher's acting career, saying, "[Guy who has never been in a good movie in his entire 25 year career] soon everyone can use AI to make good movies."

"Imagine being Ashton Kutcher stepping onto a film set now, after coming out and advocating for all those crew people to lose their jobs and f--king starve," read another of the many comments. "Gutsy choice, bud."

Replying to the outrage, Kutcher insisted that "acting like it [AI] doesn't exist will be catastrophic", clarifying his comments by saying he doesn't "think AI will replace the film industry."

He added, "jobs will change, denying that is turning a blind eye to facts. there use to be someone that taped the film together. there use to be someone that checked the gate."

Kutcher then concluded, "we need to be prepared and understand whats coming."

The 46-year-old is known to jump on successful ventures early, having successfully embarked on a tech investing career which include Uber, Airbnb, Spotify and Warby Parker.