Tom Hanks Is Not Trying To Sell You Drugs

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | August 30, 2024 |

Celebrity endorsements are hella powerful. You take someone with a significant following, slap a vacuum cleaner in their hand, and boom, you sell more vacuums. Some celebrity endorsements carry more weight than others and, for that reason, are significantly more expensive. Others readily endorse any product as long as the cheque clears. There are also a rare few who won’t endorse anything. Unfortunately, some awful folks may have found a way around that “problem.”

We’ve talked about AI (artificial intelligence) plenty on this site. We aren’t the only ones. Oprah is set to host a special on AI with Bill Gates and Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. It is here. People making money from it refuse to let it go away, even if no one wants it. Its applications as they are currently laid out seem more likely to hurt and/or replace lower-class people in the workforce. CEOs want to use it to pay people less because they always want to pay people less. It also doesn’t help that there aren’t any AI regulations.

Plenty of legislators are attempting to put forward laws that regulate AI. Unfortunately, the money seems to fall squarely on the side of pro-AI causes. So, artificial intelligence programs have showcases at film festivals like Tribeca and TIFF. So, they are shown off next to people they are meant to replace. It is presented like it is here to help, but that isn’t the case. It is here to replace. Tom Hanks refuses to go quietly.

Hanks is one of the most popular actors in the world. Getting him behind a product would be a huge gain. Hell, having his cameo in The Simpsons Movie was a big deal. Recently, ads began running for a wonder drug. Those ads used Hanks’s name, voice, and likeness, and surprise, he didn’t allow that usage. No, Tom Hanks, who needed to ask his son Chet for an explainer on the Kendrick/Drake beef, had to release a public service announcement online to clear the air.

“There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs,” the actor explained on Instagram. “These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI. I have nothing to do with these posts or the products and treatments, or the spokespeople touting these cures.” The idea that national treasure Tom Hanks had to do this is infuriating in and of itself. That the people stealing his image could affect people’s health makes it even worse.

Hanks takes health issues very seriously. As he explained, “I have type 2 diabetes, and I ONLY work with my board certified doctor regarding my treatment. DO NOT BE FOOLED. DO NOT BE SWINDLED. DO NOT LOSE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY.” You made Tom Hanks get All Caps Angry, you monsters! The man is old. Let him avoid the internet like everyone his age should instead of dragging him into it kicking and screaming.