The entertainment industry has always been at the forefront of innovation. From special effects to CGI, Hollywood has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible on the big screen.
But now, a new debate is brewing in the movie industry as studios consider using AI in the writer’s room.
Despite objections from some, many in the industry believe that AI could be the key to unlocking new levels of creativity and storytelling.
Hollywood Studios Rejects Writers Guild of America’s Request
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has released a list of demands, including regulating AI usage on projects covered by the minimum basic agreement (MBA).
The guild strictly prohibits using AI to write or rewrite literary material or as source material for such projects.
Furthermore, the WGA has demanded that MBA-covered material cannot be used in training AI.
On May 2, the Writers Guild of America went on an authorized strike in Los Angeles for the first time in 15 years.
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This was due to various issues, such as compensation, working conditions, and the use of AI. The latter was one of the major concerns that led to the strike.
However, the demands made by WGA were officially rejected by Hollywood studios. Instead, they made a counteroffer of “annual meetings to discuss technological advancements.”
WGA Are Afraid Of Robots Taking Their Jobs
Thousands of unionized Hollywood screenwriters went on a temporary strike yesterday, demanding that the agency should ban the use of AI.
The rise of generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, the AI-powered “chatbot,” has recently captured and worried those in the creative industry.
Marc Guggenheim, a co-creator of the superhero programs “Arrow” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” said the studios were performing the “same old song and dance” and postponing crucial choices regarding significant technology changes.
In a tweet, actor, and producer Justine Bateman urged other industries to monitor the WGA strike closely. She characterized it as a struggle against the “devaluing of human effort, skill, and talent in favor of automation and profits.”
Source: Twitter
An AI-generated song that mimicked the styles of hip-hop stars Drake and The Weeknd was one significant case study that garnered widespread media attention.
It reinforced existential problems at the intersection of creativity, authorship, technology, and the law.
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Given that the WGA and the studios disagree over AI, it is clear how much has changed in the entertainment sector since the fall 2007 strike by Hollywood writers.
Back then, YouTube was only two years old, and Netflix was best known for sending DVDs in red envelopes.
In 2023, the economic and technical environment will be very different. The novelist and former WGA President Howard A. Rodman discovered that ChatGPT is available to comment these days after he requested the chatbot to respond to a tweet about the studios rejecting the guild’s AI proposal.