How Hollywood is Addressing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Actors’ Pay
As artificial intelligence rapidly becomes more sophisticated, Hollywood unions are grappling with how to appropriately compensate human performers for the work done by their digital doubles. The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) will begin discussing the issue this week as part of their contract negotiations with studios. Actors unions and Hollywood writers alike are concerned about the potential for AI to disrupt traditional roles in show business, as well as the ethical considerations surrounding the use of deepfake technology to create videos featuring uncanny digital likenesses of living actors and deceased stars.
Actors’ Union Priorities for the New Contract
One of SAG-AFTRA’s primary concerns is ensuring “informed consent” for performers whose images are digitally recreated, and to make sure that these actors are fairly compensated for the use of their likeness. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator at SAG-AFTRA, stated that the starting point for AI-created similarities would be union-wide payments. This notion has been met with some resistance, however, as entertainment labor lawyers argue that the use of AI technology could be a financial windfall for top stars, as it would enable them to shoot multiple projects simultaneously.
Potential for a Strike
The potential for a SAG-AFTRA strike if a new contract is not agreed upon by June 30th has put Hollywood studios in a precarious position. If actors choose to strike, it would be the first such action since 2000, and it would disrupt what studios hope will be a crucial period of recovery from pandemic-related shutdowns. Negotiations are also complicated by the ongoing strike of the Writers Guild of America, who fear that AI will replace them in the screenwriting process.
Uncertainty Surrounding Hollywood’s Use of Generative AI
While some in Hollywood believe that AI technology will prove to be an opportunity for actors to expand their job prospects and financial gains, many Hollywood writers oppose the use of AI in the screenwriting process, as they view AI software programs as “plagiarism machines.” The prospect of AI-generated content creates existential dread among writers, as they worry that the technology could replace them entirely. Although the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers proposed holding annual AI meetings to address these concerns, the Writers Guild of America rejected the proposal, citing that the technology is advancing too quickly between contract talks to make such an approach feasible.
The Growing Divide Between Hollywood Unions and Studios
The issue of AI has highlighted a growing rift between Hollywood unions and studios. Kagan Bierman, entertainment labor lawyer at Loeb & Loeb, states that studios are keen to adopt AI for its cost-saving benefits, while unions fear that their members’ livelihoods will be jeopardized. The solution, according to Kagan Bierman, is an industry-wide task force to study the impact of AI on Hollywood labor, but so far, this idea has not gained much momentum.
Additional Piece:
How AI is Revolutionizing the Entertainment Industry in Hollywood
As AI technology continues to develop at an alarming pace, many industries, including Hollywood, have been forced to adapt or risk obsolescence. AI-generated deepfake videos have become commonplace, and some would argue that the technology is a form of artistic expression. However, the technology has also raised ethical concerns around consent, compensation, and privacy. While AI may create new opportunities and efficiencies for some actors and studios, it could also lead to the loss of jobs in certain sectors. Below we explore some of the ways in which the entertainment industry in Hollywood is embracing AI.
AI Writing Assistants
Writing is a crucial part of show business. AI writing assistants such as Lumen 5 are becoming more common in Hollywood, helping writers create scripts faster and more efficiently. The AI software analyzes a script’s structure and makes recommendations for changes, including character development, plot points, and dialogue adjustments. However, some writers are concerned that these AI writing assistants could eventually replace them entirely.
AI in Post-Production
AI is being used in post-production to enhance visuals and sound effects, which can create impressive effects and save time. For example, “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker” used AI technology to fill in background scenes that lacked extras, which helped the production of the film to stay on time and on budget.
AI Voiceovers and Dubbing
AI is also being used to generate realistic voices and vocal inflections for actors in multiple languages. By using AI voiceovers in films for international releases, studios can save on localization costs and ensure that the sense of the original dialogue is retained.
AI and Audience Analysis
AI is also being used to study audience behavior and preferences. Companies such as Canvs use natural language processing to analyze social media responses to TV shows, movies, and celebrities. By analyzing social media data, studios can gain a better understanding of their audience and tailor their products to meet market demand.
As AI technology continues to advance and infiltrate the entertainment industry in Hollywood, so too must studios and unions explore how to harness its potential and mitigate its risks. As studios and unions navigate contract negotiations, they must consider the ethical implications of AI-generated content and its impact on traditional job roles. Both parties must also continue to advocate for their members’ rights, ensuring that AI technology does not put their livelihoods in jeopardy.
Summary:
Hollywood’s unions and studios are debating the impact of AI technology on the entertainment industry. While AI may create new opportunities and efficiencies for some actors and studios, it could also result in the loss of jobs in certain sectors, leading to concerns over consent, compensation, and privacy. AI is being used in pre-production, post-production, voiceovers, dubbing, and audience analysis in the entertainment industry. As Hollywood continues to negotiate contracts, it must consider the ethical implications of AI-generated content and its impact on traditional job roles. Both parties must advocate for their members’ rights, ensuring that AI technology does not put their livelihoods in jeopardy.
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Hollywood’s largest labor union will begin discussions on pay in the age of AI as part of contract negotiations with studios this week, discussing how human performers should be compensated for the work of their “digital doubles.”
Concerns about the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence have rattled Hollywood talent, who fear the technology could mean fewer jobs for screenwriters, voice actors and others. Actors are also worried about losing control of their image, like AI technology it has been used to create “deepfake” videos featuring the likenesses of actors such as Keanu Reeves and Tom Cruise.
“The rapid advances in generative AI technology over the past 18 months have been observed in real time [and] it is already affecting our members,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator at actors union SAG-AFTRA.
SAG-AFTRA will meet with its Hollywood studio counterparts on Wednesday to begin finalizing a new three-year deal. The talks come at a tense time in Hollywood: The Writers Guild of America has been on picket lines for more than a month, and SAG-AFTRA has asked its members to authorize a strike if a deal is not reached by June 30.
If the actors go on strike, it will be the first since their union since 2000. It would shut down Hollywood just as studios are starting to recover from the pandemic. A new contract agreement was reached between the studios and the Directors Guild of America on Sunday, which some hope could form the basis of a deal with actors and writers
A top priority for the actors’ union is to ensure there is “informed consent” on the use of performers’ AI-created likenesses and that they are paid fairly for the work of their digital doubles, Crabtree-Ireland said.
“I don’t think we want to see our members in a race to the bottom with their digital doubles,” he said. “All work by our members is subject to negotiation above a certain minimum [and] the starting point would be union-wide payments for similarities created by artificial intelligence.
Lawyers, producers and talent agency executives say this type of deal could prove to be a financial windfall for top stars. It would be possible for an actor to shoot a film on location, while the digital version of the actor could make money shooting a commercial at the same time, they say.
“Actors . . . they could end up in multiple places at once because these tools could help them deliver different projects at different stages,” said Hilary Krane, chief legal officer at Creative Artists Agency.
A veteran Hollywood negotiator added: “George Clooney can probably only physically produce two or three films a year [but with a digital double] you can maybe put it in six movies. As long as you can get paid a fair rate for it, it’s definitely an opportunity.
There is less optimism about AI from Hollywood writers, who fear the technology could put them out of work. Those concerns have grown since the launch of ChatGPT in November demonstrated the potential of generative AI.
The Writers Guild opposes the use of AI in the screenwriting process except as a research tool, said Charles Slocum, assistant executive director of the union. “It’s unwise to go any further,” he said, labeling AI software programs “plagiarism machines.”
The writers’ stance on AI — coupled with their concerns about the pay practices caused by streaming — has led many to conclude that the strike could last well into the summer.
“THE [writers’] the main concern is that studios will replace them with artificial intelligence,” said the veteran Hollywood negotiator. “They look at the AI problem right now as an existential thing.”
The group representing the studios and streamers, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, had offered to hold annual AI meetings, saying the tech is moving too fast to wait the three years between contract talks – a proposal that was met with derision from the writers’ union.
Ivy Kagan Bierman, entertainment labor lawyer at Loeb & Loeb, said the AI issue has alienated studios and unions even further.
“Understandably, studios don’t want to negotiate anything that would get in the way of using AI technology,” he said. “Across the table are writers, directors and actors who fear this technology could be used in ways that aren’t in their best interests.”
He has argued for an industry-wide task force to study the impact of AI, but so far the idea has not caught on. “AI is not something we should tackle out of fear, nor is the negotiating table the best place to initially try to resolve concerns,” she said.
https://www.ft.com/content/ffa4e333-b691-4964-ada1-20bf6ce60396
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