Ice-T — who holds the record for longest-running male actor on a primetime drama — could play his beloved character, Detective Odafin Tutuola on NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” forever thanks to artificial intelligence.
“I think Ice-T could potentially act forever,” he told us, referring to himself in the third person, ahead of hosting a book launch for Mark Minevich’s “Our Planet Powered By AI.”
“I wouldn’t care. I think to say ‘no’ would be selfish. A future AI version of me would be better than me,” he mused — thanks to already having access to all Ice-T footage and interviews.
But, “I’d worry if it could f–k,” he joked.
AI was a hot-button issue during the recent SAG AFTRA strike, and there have been some protections put in place for the time being.
Ice isn’t for or against the technology, he says, but adds that we need to accept it is here.
“I believe it’s coming and we need to just address it as it comes,” he told us. “There is nothing you can do. One of my favorite quotes from [famed producer] Quincy Jones is, ‘if you want to lose a fight, fight the future.'”
Ice continued, “If you can’t beat them, join them. I am trying to read as much [as I can] to be involved as it grows.”
He also said of the new tech, “I think people are freaking because they think they are going to lose their jobs — but people can lose their jobs at any time. I don’t think people will lose jobs, they will have different jobs, we will become more computer-ish type people. When you imagine the future, you don’t imagine manual tasks, you imagine future s–t.”
Minevich’s book bash was also hosted by Noel Ashman at Paolo Zampolli’s home.
As far as the near future, Ice is going to continue his run on America’s favorite series. “I’m on till the wheels fall off,” he told us.
