Matthew McConaughey sounds the alarm for artists in fight against AI misuse: 'Own yourself…so no one can steal you'

Matthew McConaughey of "The Lost Bus" at the Variety Studio during the Toronto International Film Festival held at The St. Regis Toronto on September 06, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. (Credit: Michelle Quance/Variety via Getty Images)

Matthew McConaughey has built a career on a chilled type of confidence: “Alright, alright, alright.”

But when a University of Texas student asked him during a CNN town hall about the future of artificial intelligence replacing actors, there was nothing breezy about his response.