This week, Hollywood writers went on strike over pay, but the bigger issue is the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in film and television production.
AI programs like ChatGPT are gaining popularity and spooking many industries with their ability to eerily mimic human conversation. The White House has summoned Big Tech to discuss the potential risks of AI, and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has demanded binding agreements to regulate its use.
The WGA has proposed that nothing written by AI can be considered “literary” or “source” material, and scripts written by WGA members cannot “be used to train AI.” However, studios have rejected this proposal and countered with an offer merely to meet once a year to “discuss advancements in technology.” The fear among writers is that studios may seek to cut costs further by getting computers to write their next hit shows.
Executives at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills have added to the writers’ concerns by suggesting that AI could be used in all aspects of film production, including storyboarding and editing. The studios’ account of the breakdown in talks suggests that writers do not want to outlaw AI, but are happy to use it “as part of their creative process” if it does not affect their pay.
Leila Cohan, a writer on Netflix’s “Bridgerton,” believes that the only usefulness of AI for writers is limited to “busy work,” such as coming up with names for characters. She predicts that studios could start making bad first drafts with AI and then hire writers to do a rewrite.
The last Hollywood strike in 2007-08 won writers the right to be paid for online viewing of their shows or films. Now, streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+ are dominant players in the industry.
The introduction of legislation to regulate AI use in the industry is becoming increasingly necessary, according to sci-fi writer Ben Ripley. He believes that writers must be original, and AI is the antithesis of originality.
In conclusion, the Hollywood writers’ strike over pay is becoming overshadowed by the larger issue of AI disrupting creative control and copyright. The fear is that studios will cut costs by using AI to write their next hit shows, but writers believe that AI can only be useful for “busy work.” The introduction of legislation to regulate AI use is becoming necessary to preserve originality in the industry.
