Featured Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/WireImage
Topics: Artificial Intelligence
Phoebe Tonks
Reese Witherspoon has been forced to defend herself after making a controversial post concerning AI on social media.
The situation first unfolded on April 16 when, the Legally Blonde star shared an Instagram video in which she said she believes women should use AI in their daily lives.
“The AI revolution has begun, and I need to learn as much as I possibly can about AI and share it with all of you,” her Instagram caption read.
After experiencing a severe backlash from her followers, Witherspoon took to social media on Monday April 20 to clarify what she meant, as she also assured her fans that she could also understand their reservations and concerns.
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“Well, I guess my Al post got people talking,” she wrote atop a selfie. “To be clear, no one is paying me to talk about this. I'm just a curious human.”
She remarked that her children ‘are learning about AI tools,’ in a nod to her grown up children Ava Phillipe, 26 and Deacon Phillipe, 22 - as well as her youngest son Tennessee Toth, 13.
“I know a lot of founders who are vibe coding, and I hear about people using Al in EVERY sector of business,” she wrote.
She did however also acknowledge the ‘valid’ concerns surrounding the new tools, as she added: “I'm aware of the impact this could have on jobs across so many industries. I understand environmental concerns.”
Witherspoon continued, “I care deeply about local communities. And I have concerns about impending AGI [Artificial General Intelligence].”
“I don't believe computers should replace humanity,” she added.
The Morning Show star then went on to reveal she fully intended to stay educated and informed on the subject, as she intended to learn as much about AI as possible to avoid being left behind amid the ‘technological revolution.’
“If you want to learn with me, great, let's do this! If you don't, that's okay too,” her post read.
Her April 20 sentiments about learning about technological advancements echoed her April 16 video, in which she also highlighted how women are three times more likely to work in jobs being automated by AI, yet ‘women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men on average,’ she said.
"The thing I've learned about technology is if you don't get a little bit of understanding from the very beginning, it just speeds past you,” she said in the video. “So you have to have little bits of learning just to keep up.”
Witherspoon’s latest comments are far from the first time she has been outspoken about AI, as she previously revealed which tools she already uses in an interview last September.
“It's so, so important that women are involved in AI because it will be the future of filmmaking,” she said in an interview with Glamour, sharing she uses Perplexity, Vetted AI and Simple AI.
“And you can be sad and lament it all you want, but the change is here. It will never be a lack of creativity and ingenuity and actual physical manual building of things,” she said. “It might diminish, but it's always going to be the highest importance in art and in expression of self.”