Mark Wahlberg: AI Has a Place in Film if Storytelling Stays at the Core

Actor and director Mark Wahlberg, who is also an entrepreneur and angel investor, shared his views on artificial intelligence in filmmaking at TechCrunch Disrupt, the technology outlet's conference. Hollywood remains divided over the use of AI, but Wahlberg believes it has a place in the industry if it is used properly. He also said he is open to an AI likeness of himself continuing his legacy.

AI as a supplement, not a replacement

Wahlberg said he may use AI to enhance certain aspects of the upcoming biopic about baseball figure Pete Rose, in which he will play the title role. He described the film as fairly expensive and said AI could help, for example, with improving the stadium setting.

At the same time, he said people should not feed an idea into ChatGPT, receive a script and then make the film without real actors. If the technology helps improve what people are already doing, he supports it.

Storytelling over effects

Wahlberg noted that he has appeared in large, effects-driven films and was active around the time the first Jurassic Park and The Perfect Storm were made. In his view, it is now hard to achieve that kind of impact with effects, so he is more passionate about real storytelling than about effects-driven movies.

Open to a digital replica

TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos asked 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 to create AI replicas. Wahlberg said he had not, but the idea interested him. He said that in the future his children or grandchildren could be in charge of his likeness and image, and hopefully put him in some good movies.

He added that he would not be opposed to his upcoming animated series "Ted" continuing for decades with an AI version of his likeness. In his view, if there is a real audience for that, people should be entitled to have what they want to see.