Reese Witherspoon responded to criticism she’s received for supporting the use and adoption of artificial intelligence, clarifying that she hasn’t gotten a dime for promoting the controversial technology.
“Well, I guess my AI post got people talking,” Witherspoon wrote in her Instagram stories Monday. “To be clear, no one is paying me to talk about this. I’m just a curious human. My kids are learning about AI tools, I know a lot of founders who are vibe coding, and I hear about people using AI in EVERY sector of business.”
She went on to say that she acknowledges “people’s concerns,” noting that she understands the impact AI will have on the job market as well as the environment.
“I want to acknowledge people’s concerns, they are valid,” Witherspoon said. “I’m aware of the impact this could have on jobs across so many industries. I understand environmental concerns. I care deeply about local communities. And I have concerns about impeding AGI.”
She continued: “I don’t believe computers should replace humanity. I’m planning on learning as much as possible so that I’m 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.”
In a follow-up IG Story, Witherspoon posted some of the voices in AI she’s personally learning from. In a third post, she asked her followers if they were aware that Instagram uses AI in its functions.
Over the past few months, Witherspoon has been sharing her thoughts on AI and its expansion into Hollywood, urging women in particular to learn about and participate in the AI industry.
On April 16, Witherspoon doubled down on her insistence that women need to learn more AI tools if they want to compete with men in the future workplace. She warned her 30.5 million Instagram followers in a post that they “are not keeping up” with men in the AI race, and that the new tech is more likely to take jobs from women as a result.
Since then, she’s been hit with backlash, as the technology has been a point of contention in Hollywood for several years. However, some of the pushback against Witherspoon may also be due to her ties to alternative asset management company Blackstone Inc. which financially backed Candle Media, the media company that acquired Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine majority stake in 2021.
Because Blackstone has heavily invested in AI, there are some speculations that Witherspoon’s support for AI is connected to her financial ties to the firm and that she is getting paid to promote the technology.
