Grimes performing in 2012. Photo by Caitlyn Ridenour, cropped (CC BY-SA)
Grimes is going Hollywood, sort of. The musician is lending her likeness and vocal performance to Gods Don’t Give Gifts, an AI-generated sci-fi anthology billed as “the first AI film to come to theatres,” according to The Verge. It opens Dec. 4.
Key Takeaways
- AI studio Fable is producing the film, directed by Jack London, known online as Gossip Goblin.
- Grimes provides both her likeness and a spoken vocal performance.
- The anthology is set in a future “where bodies are disposable and consciousness has been commoditized.”
- The Verge calls it a test case for whether AI films can work commercially.
The Full Story
Gods Don’t Give Gifts follows four interconnected stories that “collide with the horrifying consequences of humanity’s attempt to transcend the flesh,” per the film’s description. Those themes fit Grimes, who has explored transhumanism and AI in her music for years and is working on an AI-themed album called Psy Opera.
Fable is betting her casting signals a trend. In a press release quoted by The Verge, the studio claimed that “casting the likeness of an actor with their spoken vocal performance will become more common with animated films using AI,” with actors, athletes and musicians giving vocal performances alongside their likenesses.
That pitch puts the film in the middle of Hollywood’s biggest labor fight. Performer unions have pushed for consent and pay rules around digital replicas, and an AI feature in theaters gives everyone a real-world example to argue over.
