Rather, T's voice, face, movements, and expressions would be fed into an AI database "to better understand and express human emotions." That database would then help train "virtual avatars" for Meta, as well as algorithms for a London-based emotion AI company called Realeyes. The "emotion study" ran from July through September, specifically recruiting actors. The project coincided with Hollywood's historic dual strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). With the industry at a standstill, the larger-than-usual number of out-of-work actors may have been a boon for Meta and Realeyes: here was a new pool of "trainers"--and data points--perfectly suited to teaching their AI to appear more human.

Dr. Ben Talei, who was recently publicly thanked by Sia for her facelift, told Fox News Digital he did'a ton' of facelifts during the height of the actors' strike. During the strike, actors have found themselves with a lot of downtime. In addition to picketing, another popular option, according to Dr. Ben Talei, is getting a cosmetic refresh. The Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon, who was recently praised by "Chandelier" singer Sia for giving her an "amazing" facelift, explained the mini plastic-surgery boom he has seen in his office. "Before the strike, as rumors were kind of going around that a strike was going to start… I began getting consults and I started getting lots of text messages from friends and friends of friends in Hollywood," Talei told Fox News Digital.

Hollywood shuts down as actors and writers hit the picket line in the first industry-wide strike in over 60 years. Fox News spoke to Americans from New York, Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin to get their thoughts on Tinseltown going dark. Hollywood actors joined screenwriters in their months long strike against studios, streaming services and production companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Thursday, marking the first time in over six decades that the two unions have been on strike at the same time. Many moviegoers and TV fanatics who Fox News Digital spoke to realize the impact the strike will have on their favorite shows and movies as production grinds to a halt. Since May, writers, represented by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike, asking for a guaranteed number of writers per room, increased pay, and regulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing process.

With the most recent season of Black Mirror, you sensed that Charlie Brooker was keen to move away from his reputation as a prophet. Time and time again since his series hit the air, it has managed to correctly predict the future in all sorts of horrible ways. But this season felt like it was deliberately skewing away from reality precisely to avoid this happening again. After all, unless a hapless demon destroys Earth – or unless Britney Spears literally turns into a werewolf – then Brooker is probably in much safer territory. Reader, it has happened already.