Gene Simmons says there is no way to stop artificial intelligence in entertainment and that anyone who tries to avoid it will be left behind. The Kiss bassist and singer was asked about AI in music on journalist Lisa Guerrero’s podcast “Lisa Guerrero Unleashed”.
He answered by describing a film he is preparing himself, and recalled an older film with Al Pacino, about 10 to 15 years ago, about a manager who creates a digital actress that the world believes is real. It matched “S1m0ne” from 2002. “The future is already here,” he said, recalling that last month there was a number one country song by an artist who never existed, and that there are huge K-pop acts that live only in the world of artificial intelligence and have millions of fans. The line between reality and the digital world keeps getting thinner.
He himself is preparing a film titled “Icarus”, a semi-science fiction project, where apart from the lead all the actors will be artificial intelligence.
When Guerrero raised the issue of what this means for actors, screenwriters and artists looking for work, Simmons answered that he doesn’t have an answer, but that the direction is clear: “I don’t know what the answer is. We’re all going to have to figure it out. But if you avoid it, you’ll be left behind.” He compared the situation to the Oklahoma Land Rush: once the land was divided up by the rule of first come, first served, with the comment that land runs short because life doesn’t count on your plans.
He also brought up an example that is already reaching theaters: Val Kilmer, who died on April 1, 2025 at the age of 65, stars in a new film through his image and with the consent of his family and his will, which was paid for the use of his likeness. It is “As Deep As The Grave”, directed by Coerte Voorhees, where Kilmer had taken the role of a priest but was too ill to shoot, and his performance was created with artificial intelligence. The trailer was presented at CinemaCon in April.
Simmons has seen this development in his own band too: at Kiss’s final concert, at Madison Square Garden in December 2023, digital avatars of the four members were presented, with the aim of continuing to perform after they themselves stop.
More on the same side of metal: Ian Gillan: The secret to Deep Purple’s longevity is not chasing trends.
See also
Gene Simmons: The patriotic speech at Summerfest | Stanley Simmons: The sons of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons
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