The Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents Hollywood’s screenwriters, went on strike after talks with major studios failed this week. The move, the WGA’s first strike in 15 years, was intended to bring the companies to the negotiating table for a range of issues, including higher wages and better working conditions.
Some issues are quite unique in the history of modern labor disputes and relate to technological changes such as the role of artificial intelligence in future scripted projects that are currently plaguing the entertainment industry.
“Although our negotiating team began this process with the goal of reaching a fair understanding, the studios’ response was inadequate given the existential crisis writers are facing,” the WGA tweeted late Monday.
Negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have continued over the past month; But the deadline for the new contract was midnight on Tuesday morning. AMPTP claimed to have submitted a comprehensive package proposal to the forum and is willing to improve it; But he claims that the proposals presented by the Writers’ Union are indefensible. It should be mentioned that AMPTP was present in these negotiations as a representative of film and streaming studios.
AMPTP, which represents companies such as Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon and Sony, said: “AMPTP member companies are united in their desire to reach an agreement that benefits writers and the health and longevity of the industry.”
to report GizmodoIt is not clear how the current process between WGA and AMPTP will continue; But until it ends, large parts of Hollywood will be shut down. Nearly 12,000 writers can join the protest line in the coming days, and this means that there will be major disruptions in the broadcasting of TV programs and movies; Because the director and managers leave it aside. Various topics are important in these negotiations, including artificial intelligence and the pressures of the streaming industry on the WGA, which is known as the “gig economy”.
The role of artificial intelligence in negotiations
One interesting area of contention in the current negotiations is the role that artificial intelligence should or should not play in Hollywood writers’ rooms. Now, new forms of automation are spreading in the entertainment industry, and this has created concerns for writers.
From deepfake technology to AI-generated voices and screenwriter chatbots, they are all tools that are creating problems for Hollywood-related businesses in new ways.
Some famous figures in the film industry have announced that TV and movies will soon rely more on software. To protect its members, the WGA seeks to develop ways to use artificial intelligence so that it is not seen as a threat to the livelihoods of human authors.
The suggestion of the authors’ association is that artificial intelligence should not be used in contracts as a source of writing, and the mentioned technology cannot be used to rewrite the work under the contract. The WGA says that AI-generated text should not be considered in determining writing credit, meaning that the technology cannot be considered for a particular screenwriter.
In addition, the WGA says artificial intelligence should not be used to produce literary and creative content, including screenplays and outlines and teleshows. In short, the WGA does not want artificial intelligence products to be considered authors and the technology used to produce original content for TV shows and movies.
The WGA announced last month that it wasn’t necessarily calling for a ban on artificial intelligence, which surprised many people. The union says the rules are designed to protect writers against companies that use AI as labor standards to pay writers compensation and other royalties.
The WGA has suggested that AI can be used as a tool in the writers’ room, and that writers can use it to bring more creativity to their work. However, the union doesn’t want artificial intelligence to play a major role in Hollywood writers’ rooms.
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