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Nicolas Cage Won't Sign Amazon's AI Waiver: What Performers Are Being Asked to Agree To
ยท RenderBob team
Nicolas Cage says he refused to sign an AI waiver for Amazon's Spider-Noir and will probably not work with the studio again. The waiver's terms have not been published.
Nicolas Cage says he refused to sign an AI waiver for Amazon's Spider-Noir and will probably not work with the studio again. The waiver's terms have not been published.
What was said
At New York Comic Con on Saturday 10 October, Cage told a Spotlight panel that he did not sign an AI waiver for Spider-Noir, the Prime Video series in which he played Ben Reilly. Variety and Deadline quote him as saying "I am not an AI-friendly actor", and that he will "probably" not work with the studio again, "but that's okay." He tied the refusal to Amazon's investment in OpenAI and cited "$50 billion". That number is his. We have not checked it. Amazon had not responded to TheWrap's request for comment when that story ran.
What we do not know
The coverage does not describe what the waiver covered. It could concern digital replicas, training on a performance, AI-assisted editing of a performance, or something broader. It also does not say whether the union was involved. A major actor was asked to agree to AI use as a condition of working on the show, and he said no.
What to put in the agreement
Consent runs through most AI disputes in screen work, and it is moving into ordinary paperwork. If a production uses AI on a performer's face, voice, or movement, even for cleanup, the agreement needs to say so in plain language.
- Scope. Which uses are covered: replica, voice, de-ageing, dubbing, background extension, or editing?
- Duration and territory. How long, and where?
- Training. Can the performance be used to train or fine-tune a model, and can that be withheld?
- Approval. Does the performer see and approve AI-altered material before release?
- Payment. What is paid when an AI use replaces a day of work?
Our voices and transcript-layer piece covers the audio side of the same questions.
What to watch
Whether Amazon or the unions describe what these waivers contain, and whether other performers say publicly that they were asked to sign something similar.
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