The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) continues its four-month strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) as the two sides battle over the final wording around the use of AI.
While recent meetings suggest that the two sides are nearing an agreement, the complex issues of generative AI and ownership of the images and voices of the actors remain the one holdout point.
Unlike the Writer’s Guild Strike, which concluded successfully with restrictions on the use of AI to generate scripts, the actors’ guild seeks to limit studios’ abilities to use an actor’s face and voice in perpetuity without compensation.
It is a fundamental right that could broadly impact many areas.
One of the most recent proposals by the producers suggested that images and videos of dead actors could be used by generative AI without consent or payment to the actor’s estate.
The writers are able to copyright their words, which gives them certain protections.
However, copyrights do not cover the ownership of one’s face or voice, making the legal nature of the argument tricky.
It appears, however, that the producers are beginning to soften their hardline stance a bit.
The four-month strike has hobbled the mighty Hollywood machine, and the consequences are starting to have an impact, as studios’ upcoming earnings calls will no doubt be affected.
Millions of filmmakers are unable to earn a living because of the actors’ strike and both sides are becoming restless.
Many fear that if the current negotiations fail, the strike could last well into next year and might spell doom for the once-mighty Hollywood system.
Already, companies like Netflix are moving productions overseas to avoid the strike.
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