Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Tom Hanks Warns Of Bizarre Video Using AI Version Of Him To Promote Dental Plan

Tom Hanks Warns Of Bizarre Video Using AI Version Of Him To Promote Dental Plan
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

The Oscar winner assured fans that he has 'nothing to do' with the video circulating online featuring an AI-generated version of him.

The SAG-AFTRA strike may have ended, but the threat of AI replacing actors apparently hasn't.

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks took to Instagram to warn fans that a video floating around the internet with his likeness is definitely not him, but rather an AI deepfake.


The video appears to feature Hanks doing a promotion for a dental insurance plan. But the bizarre image is definitely not Hanks—not that you'd necessarily notice unless you were really paying close attention.

In onscreen text in his Instagram post, Hanks wrote:

“BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it."

When you look at it closely, the image does appear to be heavily altered, especially since Hanks appears quite a bit younger than he is today. The image is likely a good 10 years old, as it turns out, and appears to be a doctored version of a 2013 photo of Hanks by Los Angeles Times photographer Jay L. Clendenin.

The timing is rather curious, as Hanks is currently in production for a film called Here, which he will be de-aged by an AI-fueled post-production too. The film sparked a conversation about AI's implication for actors during Hanks' recent appearance on "The Adam Buxton Podcast."

Of AI filmmaking tools, Hanks said:

“I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but performances can go on and on and on and on."
“Outside the understanding of AI and deepfake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me and me alone."
"And it’s going to have some degree of lifelike quality. That’s certainly an artistic challenge but it’s also a legal one.”

That last part about the legal ramifications seems likely to rear its head soon regarding Hanks' supposed dental ad, since he seems to not have given consent for his likeness to be used.

On social media, Hanks' bizarre AI mishap definitely had people talking.










Hanks also discussed with Buxton the AI-related parts of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which formed a large part of the actors' union's sticking points with Hollywood producers. The union and producers are currently in negotiations.

More from Entertainment/celebrities

Ted Cruz; Kelvin Sampson
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images; Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Houston Fans Livid After Ted Cruz 'Curse' Strikes Again At NCAA Basketball Championship

In 2013, 2016 and 2021, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was labeled the most hated man in Congress—by members of his own party. In 2023, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz replaced him as the "most hated."

In a 2016 CNN interview, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Harriet Tubman
Library of Congress/Getty Images

National Parks Website Restores Harriet Tubman Photo To 'Underground Railroad' Page After Backlash

Following significant backlash, the National Park Service restored a previously-erased photo of Harriet Tubman from a webpage dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad, in which she led 13 missions to rescue enslaved people.

A spokesperson said the changes were not authorized by the agency's leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News of Jackie DeAngelis and Tommy Tuberville
Fox News

Tuberville Now Claims 'Entire Men's Teams' Are 'Turning Trans' To Play Against Women

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy "Coach" Tuberville appeared on Fox News Sunday to again spread unhinged misinformation about transgender athletes.

Speaking with guest host Jackie DeAngelis, Tuberville stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/YouTube

John Oliver Epically Calls Out Awkward Truth Behind Former NCAA Swimmer's Anti-Trans Tirades

On Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the outspoken host devoted the entire program to the attack on trans girls and women who play sports by the GOP.

Oliver began the program saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
man in front of computer code
Chris Yang on Unsplash

Conspiracy Theories That Seem Believable The More You Look Into Them

We tend to think of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of the digital age. But the internet and mobile devices only allow them to be created and spread faster.

Conspiracy theories have likely been around as long as human civilization has. They are, at their root, just another form of rumors and gossip.

Keep ReadingShow less