Jermaine Fowler didn’t realize he was using AI until he started asking Google for boxing tips.
Now he’s starring in Appofeniacs, writer-director Chris Marrs Piliero’s horror thriller about deepfakes made for fun that spiral into violent consequences across several intersecting stories. Fowler, who plays debt collector Cedric, spoke with BLKCinema.com about AI’s dangers, what Y2K taught him about new technology and how he decides on a role.
Jermaine Fowler on the dangers and the silly side of AI
Asked what it’s like releasing a film about the dangers of deepfakes while people use the technology for jokes, Fowler said it cuts both ways.
“It’s technology that, put in the wrong hands, could do some bad things, some awful things,” Fowler said. “And at the same time, consumers use it for some of the silliest reasons. I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m an expert on the technology itself. I’m sure I use it in ways that I don’t even realize I’m using it.”
“I box a lot, and I’ve been asking Google for tips on boxing,” he continued. “I thought I was just trying to find the articles or videos that it would lead me to, but it was Google. I think it’s Gemini. I didn’t know I was using Gemini. I had no idea.”
What Y2K taught Jermaine Fowler about new technology
Fowler said fear of new technology isn’t new, and he remembers it firsthand.
“I remember when Y2K was happening and everybody was so worried about the world ending,” Fowler said. “I remember my dad packed our house full of apocalypse items, apocalypse food, apocalypse water, everything, because the world was ending and the internet was going to kill us. My dad bought a bunch of sardines and bottled water [laughs].”
“And so when Y2K happened, the world didn’t end. We were OK, and the world kept going,” he continued. “Unfortunately for us, we still had packs of sardines and water we had to finish off.”
That’s how he looks at AI now.
“There’s always going to be a level of anxiety when it comes to new technology, because we don’t know much about it,” Fowler said. “I don’t know what the future holds for anybody, but I will say everything is cyclical. Life always goes on, and we’re human beings, and we’ve got to be malleable. We’ve got to adapt.”
He added that the conversation still matters, and that Appofeniacs is part of it.
“I’m happy people are sharing their worries about artificial intelligence. I think it is something that’s important to talk about, and I think the movie itself is one of those things,” he said. “It’s a film that does a great job at showing the selfishness that a lot of people use technology for, and that cause and effect.”
How Jermaine Fowler decides whether to take a role
Fowler said the script comes first, and he rarely says yes or no right away.
“I’ve never been a debt collector in my life. Don’t want to be a debt collector ever,” Fowler said of Cedric. “But I try to go and research stories about people who’ve had to do what Cedric does in their field of work. I try to find something personal about the character that brings some sort of interest and excitement to it. I try to take my time with that process.”
Featured image photo credit: Photo: Magenta Light Studios
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