Using existing scripts to train AI and deploy its technology to draft new scripts is a major concern in the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike.
David Mcnew/Getty Images
Will AI soon be able to create your favorite Hollywood movies and streaming shows? It’s one of the problems.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), a union representing writers primarily working in film and television, launched a labor strike this month after negotiations with the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance, which represents the US entertainment industry, stalled. Part of the disagreement revolves around the WGA’s proposal to ban the industry from using AI such as ChatGPT to generate story ideas and scripts for movies and shows. The union wants to ensure that such technology does not infringe on authors’ compensation or copyrights.
“The concern is that AI will be used to write first drafts of shows, and a small number of screenwriters will work on those scripts,” said Virginia Dolgast of Cornell University in New York. To tell.
The WGA also proposes that scripts covered by union collective bargaining agreements cannot be used to train AI. There is already widespread resistance to tech companies harvesting online content for free in order to train large-scale language models and other generative AI on text and images originally created by humans.
Hollywood studios across the negotiating table include companies like Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Studios, as well as streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video. Industry initially rejected his WGA proposal and countered with a proposal to hold an annual meeting to discuss new technological changes.
“It’s a pretty weak commitment. Writers have little power in these discussions to influence how technology is used,” says Doellgast. “Studios don’t want to negotiate hard limits on how AI can be used.”
The Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance released a statement on May 4, stating that “AI poses important creative and legal challenges for all.” He also noted that a previous, now-defunct, agreement with the WGA already defined authors as “individuals,” excluding AI from receiving copyright.
The writers’ strike also saw a separate union representing actors and other performance artists simulating actors’ performances or digitally editing filmed facial expressions to sync new voices to people’s lips. It was done while trying to regulate the possible uses of AI, including using AI to
Sarah Myers-West of the AI Now Institute in New York said, “The WGA’s demands are not going to support companies that use AI to justify a devaluation of their skills and expertise by workers.” It’s an alarm,” he says. “The WGA raises an important question: Who benefits from the development and use of these systems, and who suffers,” she said.
Workers in other industries, such as accounting, IT support, customer service, and software programming, are already using AI as companies use AI to automate some of their work, and in some cases even replace human workers. I’m witnessing the In comparison, writers “have strong trade union support and solidarity with other creative workers in the industry,” along with greater personal bargaining power and in-demand skills, says Duergast. says Mr.
Beyond AI issues, the writers’ strike also focuses on how the shift in viewing habits from TV broadcast networks to streaming services is affecting writers’ income and job security. says Duergast. For example, script work is now commonly based on short, short seasons of shows produced on platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Historical labor disputes have often been dominated by corporations over technological automation of human tasks. In some cases, however, workers argued for their position. In the 1960s, for example, unions representing US dockworkers negotiated for job security against technology-driven layoffs and a pension fund for workers to retire early.
It may be difficult to stop the eventual use of AI in creative fields such as television and film production. But in the case of the writers’ strike, a friendly agreement allowing the WGA to have more control over how AI is used in screenwriting would allow screenwriters, even if some of the work is automated, to Simon Johnson of the Massachusetts Institute said there could be some solid gains. technology.
“The key in the short term is who will control the AI, workers or capital,” Johnson said. “If capital were to control it, workers would suffer great losses in time and rapidly.”
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