Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 11:15 am
As the looming strike action by Hollywood actors begins today, the entertainment industry finds itself embroiled in a heated debate over a controversial proposal put forth by Hollywood studios.
A SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical/Streaming Strike has been ordered effective July 14, at 12:01 a.m. Additional details are forthcoming. The Strike Order can be found here: https://t.co/NFBM7lLGTs pic.twitter.com/SGjmR0BPeu
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) July 13, 2023
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who represents the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), revealed during a press conference on July 13, 2023, that the studios are proposing to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create digital stand-ins for background actors.
According to the proposal, background actors would undergo a scanning process and receive payment for a single day of work, after which their digital likeness would be generated. Crucially, the studios would gain ownership of these digital representations and use them for any project without seeking permission or compensating the actors involved.
Crabtree-Ireland expressed concerns about the proposal, saying that it would “give away control over our members’ likeness and identity.” He further questioned the claim made by the studios that this proposal is “groundbreaking.”
On the other side of the debate, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing the studios, defended the proposal, arguing that it would “safeguard the digital representations of SAG-AFTRA members.”
Nevertheless, the proposal has been met with skepticism and resistance from actors and creatives within the industry, further complicating the already strained negotiations.
The upcoming SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood is happening at the same time as the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which started on May 2, 2023.
The Writers Guild of America had previously presented a series of demands to Hollywood studios, specifically addressing the use of AI in projects falling under the Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA). These demands explicitly stated that AI should not be employed to generate literary content, be used to modify it, or be used as a source.
This dual strike, involving both actors and writers, marks a significant moment in the history of the U.S. entertainment industry, as it is the first time in 63 years that these two groups have joined forces in protest against their working conditions.
The strike actions are also a part of an ongoing struggle of creatives with the impact of AI technology on their craft. In a related development, three U.S. authors, Sarah Silverman, Richard Kadrey, and Christopher Golden, filed a lawsuit against Meta and OpenAI on July 7, 2023. The authors accused these tech companies of unauthorized use of copyrighted content and are seeking appropriate compensation for the alleged infringements.
As the strike deadline looms and tensions escalate, the big question is if a resolution can be reached that addresses the concerns of the actors, writers, and studios, while also acknowledging the potential implications of AI-generated stand-ins for background actors in the future of the entertainment industry.
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