Celebrities, as thankful as I sometimes am for their nonsense, aren’t always known for curating the best takes on AI, and I’ve heard enough of the “it’s inevitable” and “it’s already here” drivel to drive the point home. When an actor decides to go on the record about AI—an area of tech that people are getting increasingly freaked the f*ck out about—it’s destined to be catnip for sensational headlines.
So imagine my confusion when Helen Mirren brought up the subject, unprompted. Yes, the “made a weird comment about AI” celeb of the day is Dame Helen Mirren. On Monday, Entertainment Weekly reports out of the Toronto International Film Festival that “when Helen Mirren has a medical question, she doesn’t turn to her doctor, but her computer.” Specifically, she consults the big bad alleged species-destroyer, AI. But she’s pulling our leg, right? Right??
At the festival, Mirren, alongside co-stars Olivia Cooke and Alden Ehrenreich, spoke to the outlet about their film A Talent for Murder. During the chat, Cooke and Ehrenreich shared that they bonded over their shared health-related anxieties, comparing themselves to hypochondriacs.
“I ought to be diagnosed with the opposite of hypochondria,” Mirren interjected, “I just completely ignore everything.” According to Entertainment Weekly, Ehrenreich asked Mirren if she avoids seeing a doctor, and she said: “Totally deny. I avoid doctors. Oh no, totally. And it’s working.” Sounds promising. But here’s where I start getting confused:
Ehrenreich then said he would love it if a doctor could live in his house, and Mirren replies: “Well, you do. It’s called AI.”
“You know, AI is amazing. ‘It hurts, but it doesn’t hurt that much!’ Oh, it’s incredible,” she said, after which Ehrenreich responded that that was an “interesting plug for AI.” Interesting indeed. Let’s normalize putting sensitive medical information into an LLM!
So, is this a joke? Is she being ironic? Did she really trade socialized medicine for Claude? I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but the outlet also included this strange quote from Mirren in 2024, in which she said: “I always say, it’s so sad that Kurt Cobain died when he did because he never saw GPS. GPS is the most wonderful thing to watch my little blue spot walking down the street.” Maybe she just really loves technology?
Regardless, within the hour, there were already a myriad of headlines claiming that Mirren was consulting an AI doctor, which might speak to our fascination with celebrities revealing their relationships with AI. Like the reaction to Kim Kardashian sharing her conversation with ChatGPT (in which ChatGPT gave her “the wrong answers” to LSAT questions). Or when Reese Witherspoon defended AI filmmaking from a woman-in-STEM position. Or earlier this month, when Gal Gadot admitted she was OK with below-the-line work on her film Bitcoin being replaced by AI. In Hollywood, your stance can confirm something about your artistry, your morals, or lack thereof.
So, if Mirren is being serious, someone should probably tell her to go see a real doctor. Learn from Kim K’s mistake—The LLMs don’t always generate the best advice.
