Actors have always been central to culture. Their performances shape trends and create emotional connection at a scale few other professions can reach. Globally, their faces and voices are instantly recognisable, and their presence carries both artistic and commercial value. In a world driven by attention, actors are hugely powerful forces of influence.
But they’re also incredibly time poor. Their schedules are defined by shooting, rehearsals, press tours, and creative preparation, and the very nature of their job requires focus, privacy, and energy. They cannot be everywhere at once, and they should not be expected to produce endless content to satisfy the increasing demand from audiences, brands, and platforms.
That is where generative AI (GenAI) introduces a new opportunity. When approached ethically, GenAI enables actors to expand their presence, grow new revenue streams, and deepen audience engagement, without sacrificing their time or creative focus. Like any emerging technology, however, the opportunity only holds if it is done in a way that protects identity, ensures consent, and keeps talent in control.
The rise of the “digital self”
Every actor has a digital identity that extends far beyond their performances. It lives in interviews, press clips, behind-the-scenes footage, red carpet moments, social media, voice work, and archive performances that continue to circulate long after release. Historically, this digital footprint was used mainly to support publicity, build a personal brand, and strengthen traditional commercial partnerships.
Today, generative AI can transform that footprint into something more dynamic. With the right structure and safeguards, an actor’s existing content can be licensed into approved GenAI platforms to power new kinds of engagement. This might include AI-powered fan experiences, virtual Q&As, behind-the-scenes character exploration, or archive performances brought back to life in a way that is entirely permissioned and approved.
When this is done properly, the actor’s digital self becomes an asset that can continue to create value without requiring constant physical presence. It is not a replacement for performance, but an extension of an actor’s influence, designed to work alongside their career rather than interrupt it.
New revenue streams without taking actors off set
One of the most significant benefits of licensing into GenAI platforms is the ability to unlock new income from assets that already exist. Actors spend years building recognition and creating valuable content through their work, but traditional revenue models often rely on additional labour, new shoots, or increasingly demanding brand commitments. GenAI changes that, instead enabling the repurposing of existing approved material into new formats that can be scaled globally.
Once an actor’s digital presence is structured and protected, new commercial opportunities open up. Their licensed likeness, including face, voice, and personality, can power digital spokesperson roles, AI-driven brand storytelling, subscription-based fan experiences, and new kinds of promotional formats that do not require additional filming. This is especially powerful for international reach, where the same creative output can be adapted to different languages, markets, and cultural contexts while remaining under the actor’s control. In practical terms, this means an actor can earn from a campaign while they are on set, between projects, or taking much-needed time away.
Staying connected with audiences at scale
With the rise of social media, audience expectations have changed. Fans increasingly want more access, more interaction, and more consistent visibility from the talent they follow. They expect intimacy, responsiveness, and connection, and those expectations are being shaped by platforms that reward constant presence and endless content.
For actors, this presents a clear tension. Their work is already demanding, and maintaining relevance cannot come at the cost of their craft, wellbeing, or privacy. Generative AI offers a way to meet modern engagement expectations without requiring actors to become full time content producers, alongside their full time jobs!
With ethical licensing, audiences can enjoy increased volumes of approved talent content, personalised interactions, virtual Q&As, and timely engagement linked to premieres, awards, and cultural moments. These experiences can feel personal and meaningful, but they do not require the actor to be continuously available. They allow talent to remain present, culturally connected, and visible even when their schedule makes direct engagement impossible.
Protection through structure
Of course, this opportunity comes with responsibility. Misuse of identity is already a growing concern, with unauthorised AI-generated content, voice cloning, and synthetic performances appearing online without consent. For actors, this isn’t just a reputational risk but also poses an existential threat to ownership, control, and long-term value.
With a structured licensing framework, actors and their agents can define clear usage, performance, and brand rules, control approvals and consent, track where likeness and voice are used, and enforce boundaries when needed. In other words, licensing must not simply allow scale; it must ensure that scale happens responsibly, transparently, and always with consent.
This structure also ensures that every commercial use generates revenue, and that no likeness is used in a way that undermines the actor’s brand, personal values, or career.
A new era for agents and reps
For agents, this shift introduces a new category of deal-making. GenAI licensing is not a futuristic concept; it is quickly becoming a commercial channel that will sit alongside brand deals, endorsements, and traditional media opportunities. The difference is that AI licensing is scalable, often recurring, and designed to work without taking the actor away from their core work.
A union-aligned, rights-respecting framework allows agents and managers to unlock a new layer of commercial value for clients while keeping everything transparent. This includes licensing for AI-driven campaigns, virtual actor experiences, fan products, platform partnerships, and always-on promotional content that can generate long-tail revenue from approved digital use.
Crucially, it also creates a stronger negotiating position for reps. Rather than reacting defensively to unauthorised AI use, agents can actively shape how their clients’ identity enters this new ecosystem, ensuring the actor is both protected and compensated.
Why actors are perfectly positioned to lead
Actors are uniquely positioned for ethical AI licensing because they sit at the intersection of cultural, commercial demand, and limited availability. Their global recognition is high, their creative value is immense, and the world’s appetite for their presence extends far beyond what any individual can deliver in real time.
Generative AI meets this demand, but it must be structured correctly. Without licensing, actors risk becoming passive subjects of the technology rather than active beneficiaries. With ethical licensing, however, they gain an opportunity to expand presence, grow revenue, and protect identity all at once.
This is why actors, and the representatives who protect their careers, have a window right now to set the standards. Those who move early will define the boundaries, shape responsible adoption, and ensure that innovation happens with consent at its core.
Conclusion: Take the lead, ethically
Technology is moving quickly, and generative AI is already reshaping how culture is made, distributed, and monetised. For actors, the question is no longer whether AI will impact their identity but whether or not they will control how that happens.
Ethical licensing is not about surrendering likeness or voice. It is about protecting them, structuring them, and allowing them to generate value under clear rules. At TrueRights, we have built technology to ensure that the actor remains the owner of their identity, even as the world builds new forms of content around them.
The digital era is here, and the next chapter of performance and presence is already being written. The actors who lead this shift ethically will not only protect their careers, but also shape what responsible innovation looks like for the industry as a whole.
