Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) authorized a strike that will begin at midnight.
The actor guilds and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) will join forces in a strike against film and TV studios. Their concerns encompass various issues, including using generative AI tools in the creative process.
Hollywood is facing a shutdown comparable to the 1980 actors’ strike, causing significant disruptions to production. The looming strike has raised concerns about its impact on the industry’s operations and creative landscape. The entertainment world is on edge as the standoff between guilds and studios intensifies.
According to The New York Times, actress Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, said, “The eyes of the world, and particularly the eyes of labor, are upon us.”
“What happens to us is important,” she continued. “What’s happening to us is happening across all fields of labor. When employers make Wall Street and greed their priority, and they forget about the essential contributors who make the machine run, we have a problem.”
Is AI a Threat to Entertainment Industry?
After OpenAI’s ChatGPT gained mainstream popularity in November, the widespread adoption of generative AI became apparent. However, the initial excitement soon gave way to apprehension about the potential implications of rapid AI progress for various sectors.
SAG-AFTRA claims that artificial intelligence poses an “existential threat” to actors, with studios allegedly failing to address it adequately. Actors fear that AI could be used to replicate their performances without permission or create content without fair compensation.