When Heather-Ashley Boyer ’16 moved across the country to pursue acting in Hollywood in 2022, she knew she was taking a big step in her career. What she did not know was that she would begin “living a life of service,” bringing awareness to artificial intelligence’s risks and the need for regulations alongside her acting career.
Boyer starred as Dr. Hall in the dramedy feature film Lady Parts, which won awards for its portrayal of women’s sexual health, blending humor and sincerity. In addition to acting, Boyer is a member of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’s New Technology Committee. The committee works to protect actors’ artificial intelligence rights in entertainment, seeking regulations for nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes and synthetic performers.
Boyer graduated with a degree in urban planning from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, initially planning to work in disaster management or policy work before realizing her real passion was in performing arts.
“Going into college, I knew that I had interests in a variety of areas, … and I felt like my ultimate goal [all] along was to try to balance both [performing arts and policy work],” Boyer said.
Boyer credits Cornell for giving her the confidence to navigate Hollywood’s competitive environment.
“I think graduating from Cornell did give me a little bit extra confidence to know, ‘OK, I’ve already achieved this very difficult feat,’” Boyer said. “I’ve also been fortunate to work with fellow Cornellians on some film projects out here [in Hollywood], which has been great.”
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Through pursuing a performing arts path, Boyer found herself re-engaging in policy work through the actor’s union SAG-AFTRA. Boyer said she has always been curious about “where things are headed in the tech sphere” and started reading about AI in 2020.
“I had mentioned [the dangers of AI] to a couple of friends, and they were like, ‘Oh, that sounds really weird. You should keep that to yourself,’” Boyer said.
Three years later, after hearing filmmaker Justine Bateman speak out about AI during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Boyer got the courage to join the effort.
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She was one of many actors at the strike — the longest in Hollywood history — fighting for protections against AI’s ability to digitally replicate actors. The strike shut down and delayed productions, adding to the standstill effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entertainment industry.

“I was on the picket line [talking] to anyone who would listen, like, ‘Hey, you need to focus on AI,’” Boyer said. “To be honest, when the strikes were resolved, I felt like we did not get a good deal in terms of the AI protections.”
In the new contract, employers must obtain “clear and conspicuous” consent from performers to create digital replicas unless the project is protected under the First Amendment, such as satires, docudramas and historical work. Critics argue these exceptions create loopholes that force human actors to compete with AI actors for jobs.
Since then, Boyer and her committee have been working to instate a federal law that would protect an actor’s right to publicity, which prevents individuals’ identities from being used for commercial purposes without their consent. She also joined the Ban Deepfakes campaign, raising awareness about the effects of deepfake pornography on celebrities and children.
Her advocacy goals have expanded beyond AI in entertainment, explaining that the entertainment industry is a “canary in the coal mine” for AI’s existential risks. Boyer emphasized the need for increased protection for whistleblowers who draw attention to AI issues in the entertainment industry.
“[Existential risk is when] there’s an AI that becomes sentient or has its own agenda [and] goes rogue,” Boyer said. “I feel like there’s definitely more hesitancy for people to speak out on [existential risks] because they’re like, ‘I don’t want to sound crazy’ … yet we have the godfathers of AI who are speaking out about the exact thing.”
Now, Boyer is working on her next acting project, the sci-fi thriller Viral Overdose, which is still in pre-production. She said that she looks forward to future opportunities to engage in meaningful work — on and off-screen.
“My guiding light in how I live my life is that I really want to be helpful to other people whether that’s through entertaining them … [or] through advocacy work,” Boyer said. “I feel that’s what brings me meaning in life.”
Lorna Ding ’28 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected].
Talia Richmond ’28 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected].