Matthew McConaughey thinks that entertainers should hop on the artificial intelligence trend as a matter of self-protection.
The Dallas Buyers Club actor — and longtime investor in and “early supporter” of AI company ElevenLabs — spoke on the technology’s impact during a recent Variety and CNN town hall with Timothée Chalamet, who starred alongside McConaughey in 2014 sci-fi movie Interstellar.
The discussion comes just weeks after the 56-year-old secured eight trademarks to prevent AI misuse of his voice and memorable catchphrases. Among the phrases trademarked was the line "Alright, alright, alright!" from 1993 comedy Dazed and Confused, when the actor played protagonist David Wooderson. Several months prior, at the end of 2025, the actor inked a deal with ElevenLabs to produce a virtual version of his famous voice. Just recently, a use for the technology was revealed: to create a Spanish-language version, in his voice, of his “Lyrics of Livin’” newsletter.
At the town hall, McConaughey addressed a student’s question about AI.
“It’s not going to be enough to sit on the sidelines and make the moral plea that, ‘No, this is wrong,’” he said.
“It’s not gonna last. There’s too much money to be made, and it’s too productive,” continued the Academy Award winner. “So I say: Own yourself. Voice, likeness, et cetera. Trademark it. Whatever you gotta do, so when it comes, no one can steal you.”
He did not mention his financial involvement with ElevenLabs, which he has been working with since its 2022 founding.
Other entertainers, like Chris Pratt, have questioned the ethics of AI in film and television. In an interview with Complex News last month, the Mercy actor shared his disdain for AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood and referred to her as an expletive.
"I don’t know who this bitch is… She ain’t nobody real,” Pratt said.
Still others, like Ice-T, have accepted the rise of AI and have predicted that human actors will be overshadowed by the technology.
"I honestly believe we may be the last generation of Real actors," the New Jack City actor tweeted earlier this week. "The Future has no regard for personnel jobs. Ask Kodak film. Or Blockbuster Video."