Algorithmic Directors and Performative Ghosts: The Ethics of Actor Identity in the Age of Generative AI

Abstract

The widespread application of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the film industry is fundamentally reshaping the basic logic of image production, actor performance and identity construction. From LED-based virtual production environments to deepfake and digital de-ageing technologies, digital actors are increasingly created through advanced algorithmic tools. While these innovations transcend the physical constraints of traditional screen performance, they also provoke complex disputes concerning portrait rights, public image ownership and intellectual property. In response to these emerging challenges, this study focuses on the phenomenon of digital resurrection, examining how AI-driven image simulation, identity collage practices and shifting performance norms collectively destabilise the boundaries of authenticity in cinematic representation. To conceptualise this disruption, the article introduces the theoretical notion of the ‘Frankenstein Effect’, which highlights the aesthetic inconsistency, legal ambiguity and cultural dislocation embodied in synthetic performance entities that lack physical presence and authorial origin. Ultimately, this research aims to reveal the ethical tensions inherent in post-human performance under algorithmic governance. It calls for a renewed ethical framework that not only protects creative agency but also addresses the structural asymmetries introduced by generative AI in the evolving relationship between the actor’s body, digital performance and technological power.