Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
Related Articles
Leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, have criticized Hollywood studios for presenting an AI proposal that would allow studios to replace background actors with their digital replicas indefinitely, in exchange for a single day’s pay.
Following the commencement of the actors’ strike, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing major Hollywood studios and streaming platforms, released a statement mentioning their offer of a “groundbreaking AI proposal.”
According to the studios’ trade group, the proposal aimed to safeguard the “digital likenesses” of performers and required actors’ consent for the creation and use of digital replicas or alterations of their performances, reports Forbes.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, commented on the proposal, stating that the studios’ offer involved background actors receiving one day’s pay in exchange for getting their likeness scanned.
However, the studios would then possess complete ownership of the scan, the actors’ image, and likeness, with the ability to use it in any future project indefinitely, without consent or compensation, as Crabtree-Ireland emphasized.
It is worth noting that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) had previously raised similar concerns about the use of AI when it initiated its strike in May. The guild proposed regulations on AI usage, including a ban on AI-generated or rewritten literary material, the prohibition of using AI to generate source material for writers, and preventing AI tools from being trained on material written by the guild’s writers. The AMPTP rejected this proposal and instead offered annual meetings to discuss technological advancements.
The SAG-AFTRA strike, which began at midnight on Thursday, coincides with the ongoing WGA strike, resulting in a complete halt of film and television production. These dual strikes mark the most extensive work stoppage in Hollywood in over sixty years.