{"id":107482,"date":"2023-09-29T14:04:57","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T14:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com"},"modified":"2023-09-29T14:26:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T14:26:12","slug":"hollywood-strikes-agreement-writers-demand-a-voice-as-ai-threatens-theirs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/hollywood-strikes-agreement-writers-demand-a-voice-as-ai-threatens-theirs","title":{"rendered":"Hollywood Strikes Agreement: Writers Demand a Voice As AI Threatens Theirs"},"content":{"rendered":"
Earlier this week, The Writers Guild of America (<\/span>WGA<\/span><\/a>) announced it had reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (<\/span>AMPTP<\/span><\/a>) to end its strike action after 148 days.<\/span><\/p>\n The WGA initially organized the strike to advocate for pay increases and to prevent the use of artificial intelligence<\/a> (<\/span>AI<\/span>) in scriptwriting. Its new <\/span>contract<\/span><\/a> not only achieved pay increases for its writers but also set forth some serious limitations on AI usage as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, under the new agreement, studios can no longer use generative AI<\/a> to write or rewrite literary material, and AI-generated content is forbidden from being used as source material.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, writers also have the option to use AI when performing writing services, so long as the company consents. Still, companies cannot mandate that writers use AI when performing writing services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For Hollywood and the filmmaking industry, this new contract will insulate scriptwriter jobs from <\/span>automation<\/span><\/a> by preventing major Hollywood studios from being able to use ChatGPT<\/a> to generate stories. More broadly, the agreement highlights that workers play a greater role in defining how AI is deployed in the workplace.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After the release of <\/span>ChatGPT<\/span><\/a> in November 2022, much of the conversation around the adoption of AI has been led by a small group of technologists and AI developers, who have championed the adoption of the technology while overlooking the impact that mass automation could have on the workforce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From <\/span>Sam Altman<\/span><\/a> rushing to create artificial general intelligence<\/a> (<\/span>AGI<\/span>) sophisticated enough to replace a “median human” to <\/span>Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/a> researchers arguing companies won’t have a choice in AI adoption, it’s clear that little consideration has been given to the impact these disruptive technologies will have on workers’ lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Some of these cavalier attitudes toward the impact of AI have seeped into the film industry, with one notable example occurring at the AI on the Lot conference in Los Angeles earlier this year, where one speaker dismissed those concerned about AI in script writing as “<\/span>insecure<\/span><\/a> about their own talent<\/a>“.<\/span><\/p>\n The WGA’s new contract not only highlights that writers in the film industry have legitimate concerns over automation decreasing their job stability but also shows that workers are demanding a place at the negotiating table to discuss how AI is leveraged in the workplace and in this instance, the creative process.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Through the power of unions and collective bargaining, workers don’t necessarily have to accept the vision of AI adoption<\/a> put forward by AI enthusiasts and technologists; they can also put forward their own vision and have a say in the role that AI plays in their <\/span>workflows<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it’s that organizations can’t afford to ignore the needs of workers when embracing disruptive new technologies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With some estimates suggesting that 27% of jobs are at <\/span>high risk<\/span><\/a> from AI and others suggesting that as many as 300 million full-time jobs could be <\/span>replaced<\/span><\/a>, organizations can’t afford to overlook worker’s anxieties over the impact of automation on their job security and quality of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rather than trying to strong-arm employees into adopting AI and facing potential pushback in the form of strikes, it makes more sense for organizations to engage in a two-way dialogue with employees to discuss how AI could be used to make their work environment more productive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDefining the Role of AI<\/span><\/h2>\n
Starting a Two-Way Dialogue<\/span><\/h2>\n