The SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and WGA (Writers Guild of America) are on strike together officially. This is happening again after 63 years when they went on strike in 1960. Even Hollywood actors joined the strike.
Concerns
In addition to issues over wages, improved benefits, working conditions, etc., the use of AI by studios is a major concern for the strike participants. Some media publications have started replacing writers with AI. Thus, it is expected of WGA to want to secure its place.
Threats due to AI
The AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers) and their studio executives are said to have presented a “ground-breaking proposal” to address AI concerns. They purported to have come up with particular regulations. However, SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator says a different story.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “They propose that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day’s pay, and their company should own that scan of their image, their likeness, and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity… If you think that’s a ground-breaking proposal, I suggest you think again.”
This is eerily similar to what happened to Salma Hayek in the episode “Joan is Awful” of “Black Mirror”
Watch this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgJ0BbcwnOo
AMPTP denies allegations
The AMPTP has denied these allegations. However, some people believe that actor scans are happening already. Some instances of technology being used to de-age actors after their death have been found. Peter Crushing, who died in 1994, appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story released in 2016. It is now to be seen how AI changes Hollywood and what the industry people could do to prevent things not in their favor from happening.
