Robert Downey Jr. may not have iron, but he certainly has some steel.
The Academy Award-winning actor, 59, speaks about the rapid advancements in technology and how he plans to fight back if his name and likeness are manipulated by artificial intelligence.
“I plan to press charges,” he said on the “On with Kara Swisher” podcast.
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Robert Downey Jr. says he plans to file a lawsuit if someone manipulates his likeness through artificial intelligence. (JC Olivera/Getty Images)
It all comes back to Downey Jr.’s alter ego, Tony Stark, whose own alter ego is Iron Man. Downey Jr. the superhero starred in almost a dozen Marvel films for years, but then things changed [spoiler alert] his character died in the 2019 hit movie, “Avengers: Endgame.”
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In the past, Downey Jr. talked about his likelihood of returning as Iron Man. In 2020, he made a candid confession to Joe Rogan.
“For me, starting over is not an option. I feel like I did everything I could with that character. There would have to be a super compelling argument and a series of events that made it clear. … But the other thing is ‘I want to do other things,'” Downey said.
Downey Jr. has said he doesn’t think he’ll return to play Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in another film. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage)
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The actor was asked by podcast host Swisher if he was afraid someone would use AI for this.
“There are two songs,” Downey Jr. said. “The first is, how do I think about everything that’s going on? And my answer is, I mean, I think about it minimally, because I have a real emotional life going on and I don’t have a lot of room for that,” he says. said about AI.
‘And to go back to the [Marvel Cinematic Universe]I don’t worry about them hijacking the soul of my character, because there are three or four guys and gals there making all the decisions anyway, and they would never do that to me, with or without me.”
But Swisher pointed out that executives on future projects could change, which Downey Jr. not disputed.
Downey Jr. is convinced that Marvel executives wouldn’t create an AI version of Iron Man based on his likeness. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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“Well, you’re right,” he said. “I would like to say here that I intend to sue all future executives based on the specification alone.”
“You’ll be dead, Robert,” Swisher replied.
“I know, but my law firm will still be very active,” he joked.
Representatives of Downey Jr. did not respond to Fox News Digital’s immediate request for comment.
Downey Jr. says, “I would like to say here that I intend to sue any future executives” if they use AI to recreate his likeness. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
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“I don’t worry about them hijacking the soul of my character, because there are three or four guys and gals there making all the decisions anyway, and they would never do that to me, with or without me.”
Downey Jr. admitted that AI had piqued his interest years ago.
“I’m very interested in it [AI] since [Chat] GPT has gone live,” says the actor.
‘What’s happening is really astonishing. And actually hard to believe when you look at it.
“The problem is that when these individuals believe that they are the arbiters to direct this, they want or need to be seen in a favorable light,” he added. “That’s a huge fucking mistake, and it turns me on and makes me not want to engage with them because they’re not being honest.”
Downey Jr. is scheduled to returns to the Marvel Universe in the 2026 film “Avengers: Doomsday” as Dr. Doom.
