AI Creates Mock Interview with Live-Action One Piece Star Mackenyu Due to His Schedule
Mackenyu Maeda, known simply as Mackenyu, was supposed to have an interview with a magazine last month, coinciding with the buzz around the second season of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece. However, due to his packed schedule, Mackenyu, who plays Roronoa Zoro, couldn’t make it for an in-person chat. Instead, the magazine decided to interview an AI version of him.
No, this isn’t some late April Fools’ prank. The interview was actually published in early March, but it only recently caught the attention of Mackenyu’s fans, who are understandably upset. It seems neither Mackenyu nor his agency was eager to promote this AI-generated version of the actor.
The whole situation is quite strange, especially the magazine’s reasoning behind it. They expressed excitement about interviewing the Japanese-American actor but claimed his busy schedule forced them to get creative. They used previous interviews to feed an AI program, generating new responses.
The resulting “interview,” which the magazine claims was produced with AI and edited by humans, reads like a bizarre dream. AI Mackenyu is asked a series of vague and odd questions about handling “pressure and expectations” and feelings of “disillusionment,” responding with generic answers that lack any real context.
Moreover, the magazine included a particularly troubling segment where AI Mackenyu discusses the pressure of living up to his late father, the iconic action star Sonny Chiba, and expresses a desire to “make him proud.” This is not only inappropriate but also raises serious ethical concerns about the use of AI in this manner.
As expected, Mackenyu’s fans are not pleased. One fan expressed disappointment over the AI interview, questioning whether it was done with his consent and suggesting they could have published the photos without the fabricated responses.
In light of this, efforts have been made to contact Mackenyu’s talent representative to clarify whether he approved this AI-generated interview. However, given that the magazine claims he did not respond to their emails, it seems likely that he did not endorse this unusual approach.
