More than 11,000 screenwriters are still on strike after failing to reach a contractual settlement with the studio association. Among the many topics considered in this year’s discussions of the Writers Guild of America’s contract, one emerging technology has divided negotiators: artificial intelligence.
“I hope I’m wrong, but I do think the use of artificial intelligence is going to take over the entertainment industry,” said writer, director and Screen Actors Guild member Justin Bateman. “I think it’s going to be pretty bad.”
The implementation of generative artificial intelligence could mean a complete change in the entertainment industry. Advocates of AI technology see it as a tool that can boost content creators and break down barriers to entry.
“Soon we’ll be able to directly type in a cue and see something as a consumer,” says AI-powered filmmaker Caleb Ward. “And you don’t have to own any or the skills of people in the entertainment industry.”
The widespread consumer adoption of video streaming since the last writers’ strike in 2007 is a testament to how new technologies can revitalize the entertainment industry. Now, however, leaders in the streaming space are dealing with the ballooning costs of producing high-quality, high-quality content.
“Today, the only cash flow positive businesses we know of are Netflixsaid streaming analyst Dan Rayburn. “Everyone else is losing money —disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, losing billions of dollars every year. “
As streaming companies scramble to keep profits, content is being removed from platforms and creators are not being compensated.
“Every time a content deal is made with a streaming platform or a publisher, there is a direct impact on the creators of the content — the distributors, the producers, the writers, the actors — because they get royalties on it,” Rayburn said. .”
As the entertainment industry faces yet another disruptive technology in the form of artificial intelligence, the Writers Guild of America is calling for regulatory standards around the technology to ensure fair labor conditions and pay for Hollywood professionals.
Watch the video above to learn more about how AI is driving the WGA’s fight for fair contracts.
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