Reese Witherspoon's AI comments ignite debate as authors and fans push back on tech embrace

'We don't want to be left behind': Reese Witherspoon says using AI is feminist and women need to catch up

But Witherspoon's latest Instagram post has social media questioning that image. The actress encouraged women to get educated on AI, lest they be "left behind" as the technology comes for their careers. In her video, Witherspoon described being at a book club with 10 other women and asking them about their AI usage. Of the 10, she said, only 3 were using AI, and only 1 said she felt like she knew what she was doing. According to Witherspoon, this is a big problem. "The thing I've learned about technology is if you don't get a little bit of understanding from the very beginning, it just speeds past you. So you have to have little bits of learning just to keep up," she said.

Reese Witherspoon sparks backlash with AI comments

Prime Video has announced that it has ordered a "Legally Blonde" prequel series, titled "Elle," which will follow the character through her teen years. Reese Witherspoon is going all in on AI - and not everyone is happy about it. The actress, producer and book club founder took to social media to speak out about leaning in to artificial intelligence, rankling some of her followers in the process. "Well...I've decided it's TIME," she wrote in the caption of an Instagram reel Wednesday, April 15. "The AI revolution has begun, and I need to learn as much as I possibly can about AI and share it with all of you. Also, FYI: the jobs women hold are 3x more likely to be automated by AI, yet women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men on average. We don't want to be left behind. So...do you want to learn with me?" Witherspoon, 50, began the video by recounting being at a book club with 10 women. "I said to the 10 of them, 'How many of you guys use AI?' And only three of them used AI. And then I said, 'How many of the three of you feel like you really know what you're doing or using it the right way?' And there was only one person," she said. The Reese's Book Club creator continued: "If three out of 10 women are the only ones using AI, that means 70% of that group is not keeping up. The thing I've learned about technology is if you don't get a little bit of understanding from the very beginning, it just speeds past you. So you have to have little bits of learning just to keep up." She pointed out that the younger generation is using the technology before issuing a callout to fans: "I think we should learn the basics together and learn some really good tools that are going to make our everyday lives easier and better. Do you want me to share what I'm learning with you?" USA TODAY has reached out to Witherspoon's rep for comment. The "Legally Blonde" star's video sees her doubling down on her comments to Glamour magazine encouraging women to get involved in artificial intelligence in Hollywood as it becomes more common. Witherspoon also drilled down on AI in her thriller novel with Harlan Coben, "Gone Before Goodbye" (Grand Central Publishing), previously telling USA TODAY that the technology is "here to stay." In "Gone Before Goodbye," main character Maggie McCabe has a deep connection with a "griefbot," an AI chatbot designed to mimic a lost loved one. How much to rely on that bot - and when to let go - is a moral quandary for the grieving former combat surgeon who had her license revoked after a tragedy. "It's all completely feasible," Witherspoon told USA TODAY. "I think this is part of the reason I talk about wanting everyone to get more involved in these technologies, but understanding that they're a tool and ... you have to layer human consciousness on top of it, whether that's humor or empathy or guiding values and principles. You need to understand it's here. It's here to stay." Fans, celebs and authors react to Reese Witherspoon AI video Witherspoon added in a comment that "women need to be in these conversations." Witherspoon's "The Morning Show" costar Nicole Beharie commented, "So good. So true.👏🏽" Actress Kerry Washington agreed with Witherspoon's video, simply commenting, "THIS." However, multiple authors weighed in on Witherspoon's video, sharing pushback. Poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva also kept it straightforward with her comment: "no 💖." New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow commented, "personally, I'm extremely proud of 7 out of 10 women 💕." Author Kayla Olson wrote, "This...is...not the take I was expecting, especially from a book lover-turned-author." Author Claire Hennessy wrote, "I think it's okay not to keep up with men on everything - murder, violence, unethical technology that rots brains and destroys the planet, etc." Author Tetyana Denford found some middle ground, writing, "I think those two letters are so controversial, that people don't want to talk about it. But it's already speeding ahead of us, and if we don't learn how to use it mindfully, ethically, and without stealing other people's ideas and instead use it for research... Then we will be left behind. We have to make sure that in this whole conversation, the humans are in the middle, guiding the narrative, always." One user commented that they're "much happier to see the takes in your comments section than I am about your take on it. That's a hard NO for me And not because I don't understand it or am scared of it per se," @astount22 wrote. "I am scared of the environmental impacts, the lack of regulations and degrading human creativity and critical thinking." Contributing: Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY

Reese Witherspoon Has Gone Viral for Saying "It's Time" to Learn AI. Not Everyone Is Thrilled by That

Katey Sagal and Kurt Sutter's New Passion Project: A Choral Concert Promising "Music and Feels in 66 Minutes" Reese Witherspoon, Oscar winning actress, producer and renowned book-lover, sat down with her book club yesterday and learned a surprising fact about their exposure to artificial intelligence. "I said to the 10 of them, 'How many of you guys use AI?' And only three of them used AI. And then I said, 'How many of the three of you feel like you really know what you're doing or they're using it the right way?' And that was only one person," Witherspoon detailed in a video shared on Instagram yesterday. "So, if three out of 10 women are the only ones using AI, that means 70 percent of that group is not keeping up. The thing I've learned about technology is if you don't get a little bit of understanding from the very beginning, it just speeds past you. So you have to have little bits of learning just to keep up." Witherspoon then said, "Let's get real, our kids are using this every single day." She encouraged her followers to "learn the basics together" to "make our everyday lives easier and better." She closed by saying, "It's time. It's time, people." At last check, Witherspoon's Instagram Reel has been viewed more than three million times, and the nearly one-minute clip landed to mixed responses. Close friend Kerry Washington loved it, and commented, "THIS," while CAA power agent Maha Dakhil weighed in by posting, "So very true." Others were less enthused. "Dear Reese Witherspoon, now might be a good time to note that men doing something does not make it a good or smart thing to do," wrote journalist Christina Binkley on Threads. "Please start your education with data centers," commented another woman on Instagram. "Where they're being built, the amount of electricity they use, and the dire effects on communities where they are." Another user on Threads claims Witherspoon has other motives. "She's in the arts. AI is stealing and profiting off actual artists' work. It's also destroying the planet. She's heavily invested monetarily in AI and this is where she is coming from." Many concerned commenters pointed to the fact that Witherspoon, a prolific producer and actor, has long supported authors through her Reese's Book Club and done many screen adaptations, and authors were among the loudest voices pushing back against the technology when it was discovered that companies like OpenAI were using books to feed its datasets. The practice led to widespread lawsuits.