Do you guys love science fiction?

Stahelski: I’m at all times massive on sci-fi. Like, John Wick is hyperreal. But it surely’s additionally bought this analog sense. Outdated computer systems, outdated fits, outdated stuff.

Reeves: I’m within the storytelling of people and their interactions with applied sciences.

Keanu, years in the past you set a clause in your contracts saying that your performances couldn’t be manipulated with out your say-so. Isn’t that proper?

Reeves: Yeah, digitally. I don’t thoughts if somebody takes a blink out throughout an edit. However early on, within the early 2000s, or it may need been the ’90s, I had a efficiency modified. [He won’t say which.] They added a tear to my face, and I used to be identical to, “Huh?!” It was like, I don’t even need to be right here.

And now somebody like Bruce Willis has discovered himself getting deepfaked into Russian telecom commercials. As an actor, what do you consider deepfakes?

Reeves: What’s irritating about that’s you lose your company. While you give a efficiency in a movie, you recognize you’re going to be edited, however you’re taking part in that. When you go into deepfake land, it has none of your factors of view. That’s scary. It’s going to be attention-grabbing to see how people cope with these applied sciences. They’re having such cultural, sociological impacts, and the species is being studied. There’s a lot “knowledge” on behaviors now. Applied sciences are discovering locations in our training, in our medication, in our leisure, in our politics, and the way we conflict and the way we work.

The Matrix simply appears increasingly wildly prophetic by the day. AI doesn’t management our lives but, however …

Reeves: [in his best Agent Smith voice] They began making choices for you. It grew to become our world.

I used to be attempting to elucidate the plot of The Matrix to this 15-year-old as soon as, and that the character I performed was actually combating for what was actual. And this younger individual was identical to, “Who cares if it’s actual?” Individuals are rising up with these instruments: We’re listening to music already that’s made by AI within the type of Nirvana, there’s NFT digital artwork. It’s cool, like, Look what the lovable machines could make! However there’s a corporatocracy behind it that’s trying to management these issues. Culturally, socially, we’re gonna be confronted by the worth of actual, or the nonvalue. After which what’s going to be pushed on us? What’s going to be introduced to us?

The metaverse!

Reeves: It’s this sensorium. It’s spectacle. And it’s a system of management and manipulation. We’re on our knees taking a look at cave partitions and seeing the projections, and we’re not having the possibility to look behind us. Or to the aspect. I’m sorry to go on right here, Chad.

Stahelski: No, it’s nice.

Reeves: It’s additionally a fascination—it appears for us, the animals on the planet, like, How will we defeat loss of life? How do we alter the climate? How will we change nature?