"I hear about people using Al in EVERY sector of business,” the Oscar winner wrote in an Instagram Stories post on Monday, April 20
Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Reese Witherspoon addressed the backlash she received after encouraging women to embrace AI in her Monday, April 20, Instagram Stories
- Witherspoon said on April 16 that she believes women should start implementing AI tools into their lives
- She later addressed public concern over her comments, highlighting the environmental and employment concerns related to the use of AI
Reese Witherspoon is responding to the criticism over her stance on artificial intelligence.
On April 16, the Oscar winner posted 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.
Witherspoon, 50, received backlash, prompting her to address the critiques in her Instagram Stories on Monday, April 20.
“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.” She shares daughter Ava Phillippe, 26, and son Deacon Phillippe, 22, with her ex-husband,, Ryan Phillippe, as well as son Tennessee Toth, 13, with her ex Jim Toth.
“I know a lot of founders who are vibe coding, and I hear about people using Al in EVERY sector of business,” she wrote.
Credit: Reese Witherspoon/Instagram
As she continued, she shared how she wants to “acknowledge” people's concerns around AI use, which she said were "valid."
“I'm aware of the impact this could have on jobs across so many industries. I understand environmental concerns,” she wrote. The data centers used to power AI systems “drive high energy, water, and e-waste demands,” which critics argue will have a serious environmental impact, according to MIT News.
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 concluded by sharing her intention to learn “as much as possible” and to be “educated about this 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.
Credit: Reese Witherspoon/Instagram
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Her April 20 sentiments about learning about technological advancements echoed her April 16 video.
"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."
She wrote in her caption that women are three times more likely to work in jobs automated by AI, “yet women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men on average,” she said.
Witherspoon's recent comments follow her emphasis on the importance of women learning AI.
“It's so, so important that women are involved in AI because it will be the future of filmmaking,” she said in a September 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.”
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