"It becomes another category": Matthew McConaughey predicts the future of Oscars amid the advent of AI

Matthew McConaughey is a highly regarded actor, whose second career act has been one to marvel at. Several memorable performances over the decades have etched him into the fabric of pop culture, as well as his signature catchphrase, “Alright, alright, alright.”

In the latest news about the Dallas Buyers Club actor, Matthew McConaughey recently appeared alongside former Interstellar co-star Timothée Chalamet for a town hall event held by CNN and Variety at the University of Texas at Austin.

At the February 19 event, Matthew McConaughey elaborated on what the future may hold for the film industry with the rapid advancement of AI in response to a question from a student in the audience. He said:

“It’s coming. It’s already here. Don’t deny it. 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. So I say: Own yourself. Voice, likeness, et cetera. Trademark it. Whatever you gotta do, so when it comes, no one can steal you.”

McConaughey then detailed an example of a potential future scenario involving AI to his co-panelist, Chalamet.

“They gotta come to you and go, ‘Timothée, I’d like you to be at my 50th birthday party in five months, and I’m gonna be in the Bahamas. I know you can’t be there in person, but I’m gonna halo you in and I want you as your character in “Marty Supreme.” They can do that, 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.'”

It seems as though Matthew McConaughey's message is for creative minds to accept a future where AI will be heavily involved in making art and adapt to that reality.

Matthew McConaughey on AI at Oscars, more

Elsewhere in the portion of the town hall video that has been released, Matthew McConaughey shared his views on how evolving technology will affect awards shows in the future. His response gave the impression that he had given the topic some thought. He said:

“It’s damn sure going to infiltrate our category. Does it become another category? Will we be, in five years, having ‘the best AI film’? ‘The best AI actor?' Maybe. I think that might be the thing; it becomes another category. It’s gonna be in front of us in ways that we don’t even see. It’s going to get so good we’re not going to know the difference. That’s one of the big questions right now: the question of reality. 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.”

The entirety of the event, “A CNN & Variety Town Hall Event: Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey,” airs Saturday, February 21, on CNN.

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