“Son of a bitch. He stole my line.”

That is by far my favorite line of the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting”, for which Robin Williams won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Well, may be it is my second favorite, after the brilliant monologue by Sean (played by Williams) on the pond.

Many people do not know that that line was unscripted. It did not exist in the original script by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The final scene was supposed to be completely silent, but, while shooting the first take, Williams (known for his unequivocal improvisation talent) came up with that line and Gus Van Sant (the Director), Damon and Affleck decided to keep it.

What makes Williams’ work timeless and eternal is that it is finite. We keep going back to these movies to watch these brilliant performances over and over again. We go back to watch literally 4 seconds of Sean’s eyes sparkle (from pain) when Will mentions Sean’s wife, who died from cancer, in the painting scene.

What makes any thing (diamond, gold, or even oil) precious or priceless is its rarity, and so is Williams’ genius; rare and unique. If we have an abundant supply of Williams’ performances or Van Gogh’s paintings, they would not be Robin Williams and Vincent Van Gogh.

It is painful to see Zelda, Williams’ daughter, fight to keep her father’s work original, without being polluted with fake, cheap and unethical, generative artificial intelligence (AI) versions of her father.

In January 2020, I was invited to a SAG-AFTRA (SCREEN ACTORS GUILD, INC.) panel to discuss the future of film with the rising fears of #generativeAI and fake media. I predicted the inevitable clash between artists and the studios. Do not get me wrong. It was not a prophecy or any thing like that. It was just a very simple prediction that any one with average knowledge of AI (and a little bit of scientific ethics) could have made.

Strangely, in the painting scene of Good Will Hunting, Sean suggests that may be he has to move to south France and change his name to Vincent. Both Williams and Van Gogh died struggling with mental illness, while making us happy for the rest of our lives; eternally making the world a better place.

So this post is not meant to tell anyone “I told you!”. This post is a genuine attempt to avoid saying “I told you!” in the near future, because the worst is yet to come when it comes to generative AI, #misinformation, #disinformation, #privacy and human rights.

If we keep allowing the line between truth and fake to blur and erode, one day we will wake up not knowing what is real and what is fake any more, and we turn into a cynical society, where any thing goes; from a liar claiming their dividend and plausibly denying a rape crime, to a malicious person fabricating a crime to indict an innocent one.

I understand there is a massive amount of entertainment money that can and will be made out of generative AI, but can big tech. and Hollywood make their money without being evil?

Or, as Sean said: “Your move chief”