Watching Mission: Impossible Got Joe Biden to Be ‘Alarmed’ About AI

The power of Tom Cruise has reached the White House and has done some good, apparently.

In reports from Variety and Time, it’s been revealed that President Joe Biden recently watched Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One—and the experience inspired him to take a greater interest in AI, as the film depicts the threat it could become. You know: the stuff we have all been rallying against for the better part of the year, but better late than never, Mr. President. Biden signed an executive order on Monday to establish new standards and security measures in regards to artificial intelligence.

Deputy White House chief of staff Bruce Reed was quoted as saying that Biden was “impressed and alarmed” by AI after seeing fake images of himself; Biden also became concerned at the threat of “terrifying technology of voice cloning,” something which grew after watching Dead Reckoning Part One. Reed, who watched the movie with Biden, continued: “If he hadn’t already been concerned about what could go wrong with AI before that movie, he saw plenty more to worry about.”

The White House described the the executive order as one that “directs the most sweeping actions ever taken to protect Americans from the potential risks of AI systems,” which—good, because there’s a lot at stake in the workforce and it’s been essential to see developing standards put in place to protect us from the dangers of AI systems, including “content authentication and watermarking to clearly label AI-generated content.” So, thanks Tom Cruise! Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is due out May 23, 2025.

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