Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s New Newsletter: A Passionate Perspective on Pressing Concerns

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt has introduced a new Substack newsletter, Joe’s Journal
• The performer expresses openly about cultural interests and matters, striving to engage with an expanding online community
• His latest subject, artificial intelligence, is among several prompted by the challenges his children encounter today

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is not one to shy away from discussing topics he is passionate about. As he articulates, “sometimes I’ve got things on my mind that I want to just put out there.”

The Inception actor, 44, launched his own Substack in February, titled Joe’s Journal, to connect with an online audience invested in a range of cultural concerns and interests. Composing and recording the first two thought-provoking themes of the newsletter — the genuine eccentricity of the rock group Nirvana and the condition of current politics — marks just the beginning, he shares with PEOPLE.

“I’ve always been a significant user of technology to connect with communities and audiences,” states Gordon-Levitt, emphasizing that he feels “less and less inspired” by algorithm-based social media. “Substack feels like a wonderful new way of returning to the fundamentals.”

Indeed, Joe’s Journal reminds the (500) Days of Summer star of the initial days of HitRecord, the online collective of creators he established in 2005, which has grown to a membership of hundreds of thousands and garnered Gordon-Levitt two Emmy Awards. “I was posting journal entries on this little website that my brother assisted me in creating,” he reminisces about the platform’s inception. “In many ways, this Substack is a revival of that.”

However, the aptly named Joe’s Journal contends with a distinct environment of cultural and societal trends. Consider Gordon-Levitt’s bold entry from Wednesday, March 26, regarding artificial intelligence, which he contends is poised to enact significant — and possibly inequitable — transformations in Hollywood and beyond.

“The entertainment sector may be the canary in the coal mine, but everyone employed across nearly any industry in our economy needs to be attentive to how this technology is progressing,” he shares with PEOPLE.

“Anyone whose work is delivered on a computer means that their data can be absorbed by these [AI] companies. And what they’re presently stating is, ‘Hey, we don’t have to pay you’ … To me, this sets a really adverse precedent.”

The Killer Heat star is quick to assert that AI can also serve as a tool for good. “When I contemplate the benefits of what this technology could achieve, it’s extraordinarily thrilling,” he remarks. However, he reiterates, “if it’s going to be advantageous for everyone and not merely beneficial for a few large corporations, then it must be established in an equitable manner.”

Numerous associates in Hollywood echo his sentiments. Friend and Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne recently spearheaded an open letter, signed by notable figures like Mark Ruffalo, Aubrey Plaza, and Cynthia Erivo, calling on the government to maintain copyright protections in light of the loosening of AI regulations. Gordon-Levitt’s Don Jon co-star Scarlett Johansson recently spoke out about the “1000-foot wave approaching” after her likeness was used without her consent, denouncing “the exploitation of A.I., irrespective of its messaging” in a statement.

The threats posed by AI also emerge as a newsletter subject due to the implications this technology holds for children, Gordon-Levitt points out. “Ask any parent, ‘What do you think about the way your child interacts with social media?’ Everyone is concerned,” he states. “AI is going to resemble social media, only much more powerful. And significantly worse… There’s clear evidence that many of today’s largest tech companies target children in a relentless manner.”

Gordon-Levitt, who has three children he raises away from the public eye with wife Tasha McCauley, claims that fatherhood influences “the entire thing” when it comes to voicing concerns about pressing issues in Joe’s Journal and further. “As a father, you can’t help but fall in love with the future. Your kids embody the future. You can’t help but ponder what it will be like… And there are things that trouble me.”

Naturally, Gordon-Levitt’s children are also the very reason he cannot yield to hopelessness. “You observe young kids who are so enthusiastic and optimistic about the world, curious and questioning, genuinely wanting to do the right thing,” he says. “Engaging with young individuals is just an endless source of positivity.”