Hollywood Stars Strike Over AI Human Replacements

Uploaded on 2023-07-14 in TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Artificial Intelligence, FREE TO VIEW

Hollywood actors have joined a strike by screenwriters in the industry's biggest shutdown for more than 60 years, since 1960. Writers and actors are concerned about generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools replacing their roles in film and TV. Some 160,000 performers recently stopped work in Los Angeles, bringing to a halt most US film and TV productions.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) wants the industry to agree to a fairer split of profits and better working conditions and it wants actors protection from being replaced by AI digital replicas.

While the strike lasts, actors cannot appear in films or even promote movies that they have already made and therefore Holly wood stars Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt left the premiere of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer in London when the strike began. The film director, Christopher Nolan, told the film audience that they were "off to write their picket signs", saying he was in supportof the strike. Picketing has taken place outside the California headquarters of Netflix, before moving on to Paramount, Warner Bros and Disney.

A number of actors have used on Instagram to voice their support for the strike, including Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk, Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon and Hollywood veteran Jamie Lee Curtis.

Screenwriters fear AI could be used to churn out a rough first draft with a few simple prompts and writers may then be hired to improve such drafts at a lower pay rate.

AI could be used to craft outlines for stories, fill in scenes and even come up with mock-up drafts.

AI could be used to replace background actors serve as the backdrop of busy scenes and crowd shots in film and TV projects, filling up empty streets and the background to social get togethers.

To engage with these issues about the use of AI, the major studios have offered what they call a "ground-breaking proposal" that would protect the digital likeness of actors and require their consent when digital replicas are used in performances, or alterations are made.

BBC: Independent: Rolling Stone: NextTV: The Verge: Verdict: Image: Ali Pazani

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