Hollywood is witnessing one of the biggest strikes of its kind at the moment, with actors and writers joining hands to fight for better pay and working conditions. Walkouts by members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have brought multiple projects to a grinding halt. Amidst serious turmoil, the specter of AI and its destructive impact on creative talent looms large.
Responding to the SAG-AFTRA’s strike, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — which represents the likes of Amazon, Apple, Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros Discovery — has responded that the outcome is not what it had hoped for. Notably, AMPTP says among the many offers it put on the table, one sought to protect artists’ rights against AI tools.
In a statement shared with Deadline, the group defending Hollywood studio says the AI proposal would protect “performers’ digital likenesses, including a requirement for performer’s consent for the creation and use of digital replicas or for digital alterations of a performance.”
While the statement didn’t delve deeper, it essentially means a studio won’t be able to use an actor’s physical likeness or voice in any content without proper consent and duly compensating them for it. Recently, multiple voice-over actors in the gaming industry raised concern that some studios are making them sign contracts where they would retain rights to their voice and its likeness.
Why AI is hot topic of debate for artists?
The SAG-AFTRA isn’t the only group protesting against AI tools making inroads into their profession. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has also raised alarms about it for a while. However, adding recognized actors to the picket lines could bring attention to the protests and potentially catalyze positive change.
The concerns aren’t unfounded. Marvel was recently criticized for using AI tools to generate the opening credits sequence for its ongoing TV show “Secret Invasion” featuring Samuel L. Jackson. But there is more to the picture here than just creating a collage of stills for TV series.
“Actors see Black Mirror’s ‘Joan Is Awful’ as a documentary of the future, with their likenesses sold off and used any way producers and studios want,” a SAG-AFTRA member told Deadline in June 2023. Multiple actors have voiced concern about AI being used to create cheap likenesses of their true personalities for production studios.
The protests are seen as an inflection point for the industry and could very well lay the foundations for responsible AI deployment. In the meanwhile, regulatory bodies are closely monitoring the protests. Interestingly, the US FTC has also launched an investigation into ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, while the EU has already agreed to AI regulations.
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