Mark Wahlberg draws a line between enhancing the viewer and replacing actors: licensing of features becomes a family asset

Actor and director Mark Wahlberg drew a clear line in the heated Hollywood debate over the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, asserting that the technology has a legitimate place as long as it remains a tool for enhancing work rather than eliminating its creators. In a dialogue session at the Tech Crunch Disrupt conference, Wahlberg, who is also an entrepreneur and angel investor, explained that he is fully open to the idea of his career continuing through a digital replica matching his features and voice in the future, provided that the storytelling and human narrative remain at the core of the production process. This stance does not reflect unbridled tech enthusiasm, but rather reflects precise calculations of production costs and resource allocation.

This practical vision appears in his plans for the upcoming biopic about baseball player Pete Rose, in which he will play the lead role; the film boasts a high budget, and a study is underway to employ artificial intelligence to develop complex stadium environments and background settings without incurring costly construction expenses. Wahlberg has drawn a red line he will not cross: relying on software such as ChatGPT to generate ready-made cinematic scripts and then filming them without real actors. He recalled his previous experiences in large-scale effects films, pointing to pivotal periods such as the release of Jurassic Park and the famous hundred-foot wave in The Perfect Storm; the digital effects then represented the pinnacle of advancement, whereas today’s overreliance on them diminishes his enthusiasm for works that rely entirely on visual tricks compared with impactful real-story narratives.

The most notable shift in his remarks was linked to answering Tech Crunch editor Connie Lewis's question about the CAA Volt facility, part of the Creative Artists Agency, which allows actors to scan their bodies, faces, movements and voices to create matching digital replicas. Although he has not visited the facility yet, he expressed willingness to join it in the future, tying the matter to a new economic model: his children or grandchildren would manage the rights to his digital likeness and exploit them in quality cinematic projects. He expanded the idea to include the continued run of his animated series “Ted” for decades through a digital version of his performance even after his death or inability to act, considering that satisfying the audience’s desire to follow beloved characters offers them broad viewing opportunities.

This shift places the film and drama production sector in the Arab world, particularly in studios in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Cairo, before a direct professional and regulatory entitlement. Filmmakers and entities that pour rising budgets into virtual production technologies find in Wahlberg’s experience confirmation that the most efficient use of smart tools lies in reducing the costs of constructing historical settings and complex crowd scenes, while limiting artistic investment to actors and screenwriters. Moreover, turning digital facial features and voices into family-managed estates forces legal consultancy offices and content funds in the Gulf and Egypt to rewrite performance contracts and intellectual-property rights, clearly distinguishing between on-set actor performance and the exploitation of its visual identity and digital voice across generations.

The equation shaping today does not eliminate the role of the human element, but repositions it within the creative value chain; digital facial replication is not a substitute for live performance, but rather becomes a sustainable contractual asset.The real bet for content creators in the regionIt requires a decisive distinction between technology as a lever for scene efficiency and cost control, and using it as a veil that covers plot weakness or lack of authenticity in the script.