One does not simply walk into CAA’s top-secret AI vault. Well, unless one happens to be Joy Press. Today, VF’s special correspondent takes us inside the unassuming building where one of Hollywood’s three major talent agencies is scanning its clients to make digital replicas that can, theoretically, extend a performer’s lifespan (or at least their net worth). How? “Digital alter-egos can be used for post-production fixes, so an actor doesn’t need to return to set for reshoots, and to speed up the original filming process,” Press writes. “They can also be used for de-aging characters, creating performances in different languages, or preserving the voice or likeness of an actor whose health is deteriorating.” CAA, naturally, is bullish about the future of replicas. The rest of the industry? No spoilers, but: It’s complicated.
