Why Weird Al Yankovic Rejected Big Money for an Ad: ‘Can’t Be the Poster Boy for AI’

Weird Al Yankovic has become the latest Hollywood celebrity to publicly comment on the use of AI in the entertainment industry. In a recent interview, the five-time Grammy Award winner revealed that he refused “a nice pile of money” for an advertisement after learning that the promotional campaign was for an unspecified artificial intelligence company.

Weird Al Yankovic explains why he turned down ‘nice pile of money’ for AI ad

While speaking with Syracuse.com, Weird Al Yankovic voiced his opinion on AI and confirmed that he had rejected a lucrative advertising opportunity for an AI company.

“I’m not a fan of AI,” he noted. “I was offered this commercial before the tour. I’m not going to mention any names, but they told me it was for a business. It was business software that would increase productivity. And they offered me a nice pile of money. I said, ‘Oh well, yeah, sure, I could do that.”

However, Yankovic said that he changed his mind when he learned about the nature of the company involved. “And then a week before we’re supposed to shoot it, I find out, oh, this is, it’s AI. And I thought, ‘Oh no, I can’t be the poster boy for AI, forget it.’ So I felt bad about kind of pulling out at the last minute. But yeah, I’m not, I’m not down with that,” he revealed.

The use of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry has become a contentious topic among consumers. While many professionals, like Weird Al Yankovic, have outright rejected the idea of endorsing AI, some have embraced it as a new tool to further their art. Notably, filmmaker Martin Scorsese, the director of numerous iconic films such as Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street, recently partnered with an artificial intelligence start-up for a new film.

Source: Comingsoon.net