In a year when machines learned to imitate the craft of making stories, the companies building them have turned to the oldest tool of persuasion: famous faces. OpenAI, having recruited former Instagram executive Charles Porch to draw celebrities toward ChatGPT, is working the same social gravity that once filled a photo-sharing app, now aimed at a technology that many in entertainment fear could thin out their own livelihoods. Among those who work behind the camera and on set, the anxiety is quieter but real, as an unnamed media executive describes a business where only the most established na
OpenAI Courts Celebrities as Hollywood Mid-Tier Actors Struggle to Find Work
Mid-tier entertainment workers reportedly face fewer jobs as AI uncertainty tightens studio spending.
The next tier down is not getting jobs.
Mark
Why does it matter that OpenAI hired someone from Instagram?
Mimi
Because Charles Porch spent 15 years getting celebrities to join a platform. OpenAI is applying that same relationship-first approach to ChatGPT, and Messi in the World Cup advertising is one visible result.
Mark
And the Paltrow dinner?
Mimi
It was arranged as part of his outreach. Rumors of a September dinner with Sam Altman drew public backlash, and it was postponed.
Luke
Worth being careful there. The source says rumors triggered the backlash and the dinner was postponed. It doesn't tell us what the dinner was for or whether it will be rescheduled.
Mark
What about the claim that mid-tier actors aren't working?
Mimi
It comes from an unnamed media executive quoted by New York Magazine. They said only top people are working and the next tier down is not getting jobs.
Luke
That's one anonymous voice, relayed through two outlets. It's an insider's view, not a measured employment figure, and nothing here ties it directly to AI.
Mark
So is AI taking the jobs?
Mimi
The reporting says AI tools could reduce paid work and that uncertainty could make executives tighten spending. Those are possibilities and pressures, not documented job losses.
Luke
Right. Also, Scorsese endorsing a storyboarding startup shows celebrity involvement, but it doesn't show harm. The link between celebrity outreach and lost work is the reader's inference.
El Pulso
- OpenAI is courting celebrities through ex-Instagram executive Charles Porch, and the outreach is already drawing public friction.
- A planned Altman and Gwyneth Paltrow dinner was postponed after rumors sparked backlash.
- An unnamed media executive says only top-tier actors are working while the next tier is not getting jobs.
- Studio spending may tighten as AI uncertainty grows, and mid-tier performers are the ones feeling it first.
In a year when machines learned to imitate the craft of making stories, the companies building them have turned to the oldest tool of persuasion: famous faces. OpenAI, having recruited former Instagram executive Charles Porch to draw celebrities toward ChatGPT, is working the same social gravity that once filled a photo-sharing app, now aimed at a technology that many in entertainment fear could thin out their own livelihoods. Among those who work behind the camera and on set, the anxiety is quieter but real, as an unnamed media executive describes a business where only the most established names still find steady work. It is an old story in a new costume, the few lifted higher while the many wait for the next call.
When OpenAI built its World Cup advertising around Lionel Messi, it was more than a sports campaign. It was another sign of a deliberate strategy: bringing famous people into the orbit of ChatGPT, at a time when many people in entertainment are anxious about what artificial intelligence will mean for their work.
The strategy has a face of its own. In 2025, Sam Altman recruited Charles Porch, a former Instagram executive who spent fifteen years persuading celebrities to join that platform. Porch describes himself less as a dealmaker and more as the person bringing everyone along on new technology, a relationship-builder rather than an advertiser. The effort has not been smooth. A September dinner he arranged between Altman and Gwyneth Paltrow was postponed after rumors of the meeting drew public backlash.
The wider stakes sit behind all of this. AI tools that can handle parts of creative production could shrink the paid work available, and uncertainty about them may push studio executives to pull back spending. One media executive put it bluntly: only the top names are working right now, and the next tier down is not getting jobs. The infrastructure powering these tools also draws heavily on electricity and water, a cost that reaches well beyond Hollywood.
The debate among performers continues to unfold. Marion Cotillard has said AI actors act like potatoes while admitting she fears what they could become. Whether celebrity partnerships and AI tools lead to fewer paid jobs, and whether studios tighten their budgets further, remains the question to watch.
When OpenAI built its advertising around the World Cup, the face it chose was Lionel Messi. Futurism pointed to the campaign as one more sign of a deliberate strategy: bringing famous people into the orbit of ChatGPT, at a moment when many people who work in entertainment are anxious about what artificial intelligence means for their livelihoods.
The strategy has a name attached to it. In 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recruited Charles Porch, a former Instagram executive, to help draw celebrities to ChatGPT. Porch had spent 15 years at Instagram persuading famous people to join the platform, and the skill set he brought with him is the same one now being applied to a different kind of product.
New York Magazine profiled him under the headline "OpenAI's Hollywood Whisperer." In it, Porch described himself as "not a business-development guy or the brand guy," but the "relationships person that's bringing everyone along on new tech." Futurism noted that his approach leans on personal connection rather than advertising alone.
The work has not been free of friction. Porch had arranged a September dinner between Altman and actress Gwyneth Paltrow as part of his outreach. Rumors of the meeting set off public backlash, and the dinner was postponed.
OpenAI is not the only company drawing prominent entertainment figures toward AI. According to Futurism, filmmaker Martin Scorsese has endorsed an AI-storyboarding startup, lending his name to technology that could change how creative work gets done.
That prospect is the backdrop to all of this. AI tools that can handle parts of creative production could reduce the amount of paid work available. Futurism also described how the uncertainty around AI could lead entertainment executives to tighten spending, adding pressure on workers looking for their next project.
One unnamed media executive, quoted by New York Magazine, laid out what that looks like from inside the business. "Right now in Hollywood, only the top people are working," the executive said. "It's why Robert Pattinson is in every project or why Nicole Kidman is literally in everything you watch on TV. The next tier down is not getting jobs."
The cost of the technology is not confined to Hollywood. The computing infrastructure behind AI requires electricity and cooling, and it can consume substantial amounts of both energy and water.
The wider debate among performers and filmmakers continues. Marion Cotillard has said AI actors "act like potatoes" while admitting she fears their potential. Gal Gadot has faced backlash over an AI-heavy Bitcoin movie. And the first AI-generated feature earned an R rating amid a push for Oscar recognition. What to watch is whether celebrity partnerships and AI tools translate into fewer paid jobs, and whether studio spending tightens further.
Citas Notables
Right now in Hollywood, only the top people are working. The next tier down is not getting jobs.— Unnamed media executive, quoted by New York Magazine
Not a business-development guy or the brand guy, but the relationships person that's bringing everyone along on new tech.— Charles Porch, describing himself to New York Magazine
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