Nothing is currently more confusing than the Artificial Intelligence hype. For the first time in six decades of uninterrupted progress in the entertainment industry, we witness the two major labor unions, Writers Guild of America and SAG-Aftra up in arms over the large language model impacts. The strike has seen 160,000 professionals down their tools to express their discontentment over the creation of digital twins.
What it means is that Artificial Intelligence will now play starring roles. The Hollywood studios could not reach an agreement with actors over the rights to “an actor’s” likeness. This is one of the strategies that will render actors jobless as Artificial intelligence visits their space with the harvester’s sickle.
The concern among scriptwriters was not different. Their fears come amidst the increased use of ChatGPT to create original content. They seek to push the industry giants to avoid using their work to train ChatGPT.
Since the launch of ChatGPT and other AI-related technologies, many have expressed concerns about its negative impacts. However, enthusiasts and pundits like Professor LeCun dismissed these fears equating ChatGPT to less than a dog-level intelligence. The new wave of strikes seems to suggest otherwise. It has proved that without guardrails on Artificial intelligence, the damage may soon be irreparable.
Is AI the Reason for Hollywood Strike?
Well, the straight answer is Yes and No. Let’s look at the ugly part first. Like other industries, employees report to work with some misgivings. It could be health insurance, pay cuts, work-life balance, and failure to be granted a promotion. The list is long! The same is reflected in the points of negotiations that actors and writers tabled.
Renowned actor, Matt Damon pointed out that “It’s gonna be tough for the actors, for 160,000 actors. Nobody wants a work stoppage but if our leadership is saying that the deal isn’t fair then we gotta hold strong. It’s the difference between having healthcare and not for a lot of actors, and we gotta do what’s right by them,”
The statement by Cynthia Nixon summarized other concerns “I am proud to be standing tall with the WGAWest and WGAEast as actors and writers together demand a fair share of the record-breaking profits the studios have been reaping from our labor for far too long. We will win this!”
Impacts of Artificial Intelligence
However, these concerns are only the tip of the iceberg, Artificial Intelligence taking it all away from actors and writers is the real issue at hand. Fears over studios having sole control over actors’ likenesses are one major concern. Many actors attribute the use of Artificial Intelligence to greed and lack of concern for actors who can’t afford basics while their bosses make millions.
Bob Iger came under sharp criticism for mentioning that worker’s demands were “very disturbing”. Citizens online immediately pointed out that Bob earns $27 million annually and is not in a position to understand the threat facing actors and writers.
No one at the top sees the need to regulate the impacts of AI on potential job losses. Instead, studios seek additional permission to train AI, especially ChatGPT using materials created by writers to displace the demand for such services. However, this is not going down well with the actors and scriptwriters.
When Artificial Intelligence resurrected The Beatles Legend Lennon, we thought it was only the music industry that was in jeopardy. The Hollywood strike is now a reflection of what Aartificial intelligence is doing behind the scenes in our work environments.
Without a vigorous fight by those on the receiving end, employers will likely use AI to the detriment of employees. We continue to appreciate the transformational nature of Artificial Intelligence technology. Nonetheless, there is daily proof of the need for continuous engagements between employers and employees to limit conflicts.
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