‘Fargo’ creator warns AI is a threat: ‘We’ve got a fight on our hands’

‘Fargo’ series creator Noah Hawley spoke with Fox News Digital at the Emmys and warned that while he doesn’t think AI can replicate human creativity, it still poses a threat.
“Fargo” series creator Noah Hawley is wary of the good and bad in artificial intelligence.
“I’m a human being telling stories to human beings. Decency is not an algorithm. Moral courage is not a formula. I don’t think we’re going to be able to replace our best work with a simulation of our best work. So, on some level, I’m not worried about it,” he told Fox News Digital last month at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
The show’s fifth season was nominated for six awards and took home one for outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for Lamorne Morris.
“On another level, as someone who engages a lot with the darkness of capitalism, I think we’ve got a fight on our hands,” Hawley added.
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“Fargo” series creator Noah Hawley said, “I think we’ve got a fight on our hands” when it comes to the proliferation of AI. (Tibrina Hobson/WireImage)
The writer and director’s comments came before a series of AI bills crossed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk that addressed different needs.
On Sept. 17, Newsom signed two bills supported by the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, that offered protection for actors’ likenesses, living and dead — AB 1836, which restricts the usage of AI to create digital replicas of dead performers without the consent of their estates, and AB 2602, which increases consent requirements for living performers for AI replicas.
“We continue to wade through uncharted territory when it comes to how AI and digital media is transforming the entertainment industry, but our North Star has always been to protect workers. This legislation ensures the industry can continue thriving while strengthening protections for workers and how their likeness can or cannot be used,” Newsom said in a statement.
“On another level, as someone who engages a lot with the darkness of capitalism, I think we’ve got a fight on our hands.”
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher attended the signing.
“It is a momentous day for SAG-AFTRA members and everyone else because the AI protections we fought so hard for last year are now expanded upon by California law thanks to the legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom,” Drescher said. “They say as California goes, so goes the nation.” 
Later in September, Newsom vetoed a separate bill, SB 1047, which also had the backing of SAG-AFTRA.
Fran Drescher became the SAG-AFTRA president in 2021 and was on hand for the signing of two AI bills with Gavin Newsom. (Gilbert Flores)
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According to The Associated Press, the governor’s veto delivers a major setback to attempts to create guardrails around AI and its rapid evolution with little oversight.
“While well-intentioned, SB 1047 does not take into account whether an AI system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data,” Newsom said in a statement. “Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions — so long as a large system deploys it. I do not believe this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology.”
WATCH: ‘FARGO’ CREATOR WARNS AI COULD MEAN ‘WE’VE GOT A FIGHT ON OUR HANDS’
Newsom announced instead that the state will partner with several industry experts to develop safety measures for powerful AI models.
Jeffrey Bennett, general counsel of the union, told Variety, “This bill seems to be the one bill that targets only the incredibly powerful, expensive systems that have the capability to cause a mass critical problem. Why not regulate at that level? Why not build in some sensible, basic safety protocols at this stage of the game?”
Newsom vetoed an AI bill that dealt with broader protection beyond the scope of Hollywood in tech, defense and other sectors. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
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California and Tennessee have both passed AI bills specific to performers this year, and a revised version of the No Fakes Act was reintroduced to Congress earlier this year.
The Motion Picture Association, which represents multiple major studios, including Netflix, Sony, Paramount, Universal, Disney and Warner Bros., also praised the bill.
WATCH: SAG-AFTRA REP ON WHY THE ‘DEVASTATING’ HOLLYWOOD STRIKES LAST YEAR WERE ‘NECESSARY’
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SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland spoke with Fox News Digital about the bill in July, saying, “[F]rom our point of view, this is absolutely crucial. The timing is now, and it’s desperately needed.”
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.