Simu Liu has urged film and TV producers to stop replacing background performers with artificial intelligence, arguing that on-set experience is essential to how actors learn the craft. In remarks this week, the Shang-Chi star called the idea “so antithetical” to his own development, adding that “art is art because it is human.” He said crowd scenes staffed by real people are part of a training pipeline that teaches timing, etiquette, and collaboration.
Liu also criticized AI-generated imagery and so-called synthetic performers, warning that outsourcing human expression to software undermines the authenticity audiences expect from screen work. He previously posted on Instagram that using AI to stand in for extras deprives newcomers of a foothold in the industry, reinforcing his view that background work is not disposable labor but the starting rung of a career ladder.
The comments arrive amid a wider industry reckoning over AI. Earlier this month the actors union reiterated that employers must secure clear, informed consent and appropriate compensation before creating or deploying digital replicas, and cautioned against normalizing fully synthetic “actors.” Those statements followed weeks of backlash to “Tilly Norwood,” a computer-generated character touted by a UK outfit, which performers and labor leaders said exemplified how AI systems are trained on unlicensed human work.
Debate over background performers has intensified as some investors and technologists pitch AI-driven crowds as a cost saver for large scenes. Liu countered that savings come with a hidden price: fewer entry-level jobs, less diversity on set, and fewer chances for aspiring actors to gain the skills that turn into future principal roles. Organizing disputes this year show how unsettled the terrain remains, from union complaints about unconsulted voice cloning in games to ongoing talks about how production pipelines should flag and bargain over machine-generated performance.
