As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to make its way into the entertainment industry, entertainers such as Tyler Lepley are being honest about the uncertainty of it all.
The Future Of Technology
“I don’t want to date myself, but I don’t know too much about it,” Lepley told AfroTech during the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture just ahead of his #BlackBoyJoy panel with AT&T Dream In Black. “I don’t have too much experience with it. I haven’t used it too much, you know. I’ve messed around with ChatGPT a little bit, but I feel like they come out with the 2.0, the 3.0… so it’s upgrading faster than I can actually download it into my system.”
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Like many others in the game, Lepley has conflicting feelings when it comes to the ever-evolving technology.
“I feel like I got mixed feelings about it on one hand,” he said. “I feel like it can definitely be a tool to help us just be more creative, be more efficient, and kind of help us get to our goal a little bit quicker. And on the flip side, I feel like, as intricate as it gets and as advanced as it does get, I feel like it can never replace the true creative. So, it’s a beautiful thing to continue being you and to not get discouraged by the next man or by AI in this case.”
Lepley, who made his professional acting debut in the 2012 movie “Slumber Party Slaughter” and The CW’s “90210,” has quickly taken television by storm with roles in shows like “The Haves and the Have Nots,” “Harlem,” and “P-Valley.” However, he admits that none of this has been an overnight success.
“I bet it all on myself,” he shared. “It ended up working out this way, but I was okay with failing as long as I put it all, put the chips into play.”
'Dreaming In Black'
What’s more, Lepley says “dreaming in Black” has been the very thing that has gotten him to his current success as an actor.
“I feel like it’s been the foundation of the reason why I’m here,” the 36-year-old said. “Just having the audacity to do just that… to dream. All of us come from humble beginnings, so when you don’t have anything given to you it’s difficult to try to figure out how you’re going to get it. With what we do as creatives, again, you’ve got to have the audacity to go ahead and just dream out loud.”
