Key Takeaways
- Matthew McConaughey says AI is inevitable and should be embraced, not resisted.
- He encourages actors to trademark their voice and likeness to protect themselves.
- McConaughey believes AI-generated performances could eventually become their own award category.
- The actor has already invested in AI voice technology company ElevenLabs.
Matthew McConaughey believes artificial intelligence isn’t something Hollywood — or anyone — can afford to ignore.
Speaking at Variety and CNN’s town hall event in Texas, the Oscar-winning actor made it clear that trying to resist AI’s rise is pointless.
“It’s coming. It’s already here. Don’t deny it,” McConaughey said. “It’s not going to be enough to sit on the sidelines and make the moral plea that, ‘No, this is wrong.’ It’s not gonna last. There’s too much money to be made, and it’s too productive.”
For McConaughey, the conversation isn’t about stopping AI — it’s about protecting yourself in a world where it’s rapidly advancing.
Protecting Your Voice and Likeness
The actor revealed that one of the reasons he trademarked his iconic Dazed and Confused catchphrase was to safeguard his intellectual property.
“Own yourself. Voice, likeness, et cetera. Trademark it. Whatever you gotta do,” he advised. “So when it comes, no one can steal you.”
Appearing alongside Timothée Chalamet, McConaughey described a future where AI could project actors into events virtually — even recreating them as specific characters — but emphasized that consent and compensation must remain in the actor’s control.
“They can do that,” he explained. “But they’re gonna have to come to you to go, ‘Can I?’ Or they’re going to be in breach. And you’ll have the chance to be your own agency and go, ‘Yeah, for this amount.’ Or, ‘No.’”
Could AI Actors Win Awards?
McConaughey also suggested that AI performances could eventually be recognized alongside traditional acting roles.
“It’s damn sure going to infiltrate our category,” he said. “Does it become another category? Will we be, in five years, having ‘the best AI film’? ‘The best AI actor?’ Maybe.”
He believes AI will soon become so advanced that audiences may struggle to distinguish between real and artificial performances.
“It’s going to get so good we’re not going to know the difference,” he noted, adding that the blurred lines between reality and digital creation are both exciting and unsettling.
“It’s more hazy than ever — in a very exciting way, I think, but also a scary way. Prep for it. Own your own lane, so you at least have agency when it starts to trespass.”
Investing in the Future of AI
McConaughey isn’t just talking about AI — he’s actively participating in its development.
The actor previously invested in New York-based AI audio company ElevenLabs, which specializes in realistic voice replication technology. He first collaborated with the company in 2022 and has publicly supported the evolution of voice tech.
“To everyone building with voice technology: keep going,” McConaughey said. “You’re helping create a future where we can look up from our screens and connect through something as timeless as humanity itself — our voices.”
