Greta Garbo Heirs Weigh AI Film Roles After 99-Second SKF Advert
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 30
Greta Garbo Heirs Weigh AI Film Roles After 99-Second SKF Advert
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 30
Summary
Greta Garbo’s descendants said they are open to licensing an AI version of the actor for future film roles after seeing her 99-second appearance in an SKF advertisement.
SKF’s ad revived Garbo more than a century after her screen debut by linking back to her 1921 promotional film for the Swedish ball-bearing company.
The production used text prompts with models including China’s Seedream and Google’s Nano Banana Pro, then overlaid an AI-generated Garbo likeness onto a human performer because source images were copyright-protected.
Craig Reisfield, one of three relatives managing Garbo’s legacy, said the custodians remain selective as studios and filmmakers increasingly invest in AI-driven film production.
The advert marks Garbo’s first posthumous moving-image AI performance, extending a broader debate over “ghostploitation” as dead actors are digitally revived for new work.