Welcome to this week’s edition of Simon Sees!
This edition was sparked by our latest Future With Friends podcast episode with the incredible Megan Davis, where we explored ‘The Future of Acting’. But, as these conversations tend to do, we found ourselves diving much deeper—into the role creativity plays in helping us feel, process, and express what it means to be human.
We start with a confronting piece on actors who’ve unwittingly sold their faces to be used by AI, raising important questions about consent, identity, and what it actually means to perform. Next, we visit the BBC’s bold move to bring Agatha Christie into the AI era—with machines now “learning” from legendary writers to generate new content. And finally, we take a look at Google’s latest leap in video generation with Veo 3—now with sound—making it easier than ever for anyone to create entire films without picking up a camera or writing a script!
As AI becomes increasingly capable of replicating human creativity, we’re left wondering: if we no longer need to act, write, or imagine… how do we process the big emotions we all carry? What happens when the tools we’ve used for centuries to make sense of our inner worlds are handed over to machines?
Lights, camera…questions.
FUTURISM
Actors Horrified as They Learn What Selling Their Faces as AI Actually Means
“The clients I’ve worked with didn’t fully understand what they were agreeing to at the time.“
THE VERGE
The BBC deepfaked Agatha Christie to teach a writing course
“The crime fiction author doesn’t know it, but she’s now a teacher on the internet.“
Cinema, stars, movies, tv… All cooked, lol. – Veo3 is insane…
“Anyone will now be able to generate movies and no-one will know what is worth watching anymore. I’m wondering how popular will consuming this zero-effort worlds be.“
THE FUTURE WITH FRIENDS PODCAST
Ep 6: The Future of acting
Simon Waller talks with actor and storytelling expert Megan Davis about the future of acting in a world shaped by technology. Megan reflects on her return to acting, its role in personal growth, and how performance helps us connect with what it means to be human.
They explore a future where AI actors and virtual sets challenge the idea of authenticity in art. The conversation dives into emotional depth, automation in film, digital rights, and whether technology can ever truly capture what makes us human — or if acting remains one of the last ways to feel something real.
Watch now: https://simonwaller.com.au/the-future-with-friends/episode-6/
Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Simon