AI Fuels the Writers Strike with Concerns for Job Security
Discover more from Last Week in AI
AI Fuels the Writers Strike with Concerns for Job Security
How much threat does ChatGPT pose for writers; can it really change the entertainment industry?
TL;DR
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), consisting of two labor unions representing over 11,000 writers in various media industries, went on strike on May 2nd. As stated in the WGA’s proposals, the strike aims to achieve higher pay, a dependable payment structure, and more fairness in deals, contracts, and regulations related to artificial intelligence.
Writers have been picketing the headquarters of major studios including Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros., Universal Studios, and others, brandishing signs and demanding higher wages.
Amongst the many demands regarding streaming residual, the document also discusses concerns stemming from the threat that AI poses to their profession. The writers want regulations in place to safeguard their future in the industry.
Advancements in AI, specifically large language models, are quite massive. While its exact impact on various domains and professions may yet be unclear, it is important to discuss AI regulations in the context of providing job security and mitigating negative impacts.
What Happened
Roughly 11,500 TV and movie writers belonging to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike on May 2nd for the first time in 15 years after their negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach a new contract. AMPTP represents eight major studios: Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount, and Sony along with many other producers and distributors.
Writers are striking because of three critical issues. The first is concerning the low wages, the second is regarding the writers’ residual payments from streaming services, and the third, the writers want limits on the use of AI in writing rooms explicitly integrated into union-AMPTP agreements.
The WGA instructed members to begin picketing on May 2, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. PDT. By May 3, 2023, picketing hours had extended to two four-hour shifts: an early shift from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and an afternoon shift from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Some places that the WGA has picketed include AMC Networks, Amazon/Culver Studios, MGM, CBS Radford, CBS Television City, Disney, 20th Century Studios, Lionsgate, Starz, Netflix, Paramount, MTV, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. (including its Burbank division), 30 Rock/NBCUniversal, Broadway Stages, HBO, Silvercup Studios, Steiner Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront.
More specific to the writers’ concern on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the union wants the following:
AI won’t be used to write or rewrite the writer's material.
AI-generated content will not be used as source material.
Content written by the union writers should not be used as training data for AI algorithms.
Towards these concerns raised by the union, AMPTP as of now has rejected their proposals and has countered with annual meetings to discuss advancements in technology.
As a direct impact of the strike, late-night shows (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live) immediately went dark given their nightly schedules and topical nature. With respect to movies and TV shows, the theatrical release calendar would see several date changes and delays for the upcoming year.
The Reactions
Since the commencement of the strike, there are various folks across the industry and also the AI community who have come forward in their support and provided their perspective.
From AI Experts
AI researchers understand the role their community plays in the development of the large language models that we see today. They are also well aware of how the state of technology will be in the years to come.
Alex Hanna, Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute affirms the writers’ concerns:
“Politically, we are at the precipice of when [AI technology] will be institutionalized. Once they are institutionalized, it’s hard to get rid of it.”
Managing Director of AI Now Institute, Sarah Myers West said that these AI technologies have been in the works for a while, what's changing really is how rapidly they are coming into mainstream use. The commercial adoption is raising questions across sectors about the potential for job cuts:
“It’s not so much about what AI is going to do, but what companies are going to use AI to justify. Studios could have fewer people in the writers’ room, with generative AI writing content that is later edited by a writer. They could use AI to create a first draft and then bring in someone else to do a second draft. And that devalues their work by not having them do that whole process. Experts say that the technology is not yet advanced enough to replace a writer entirely, but it could reduce a creative practice into something akin to copywriting. AI isn’t necessarily going to replace the job, but it would make it more mundane.”
James Grimmelmann, a professor of digital and information law at Cornell University explained why the writer's concerns are indeed concerning:
“They’re afraid that if the use of AI to do all this becomes normalized, then it becomes very hard to stop the train. The guild is in the position of trying to imagine lots of different possible futures.”
Ryan Steelberg, the co-founder and CEO of Veritone, an artificial intelligence company working at the intersection of entertainment and AI admits that there is room for improvement on both sides
"Frankly, the quality and advancements in technology – groups and writers, I'd say people in the creative arts, should be concerned. I want to qualify what concern means. I think they need to be open and make sure they're fully educated, as much as everybody else, on really the capabilities of these new tools. A lot of the arguments that writers have and other creative institutions have, is saying, wait a minute, just because you're using ChatGPT or GPT model, and you're asking it to, let's say, write a narrative around a certain topic, that potentially is infringing on the IP … from some other very talented screenwriter. In my discussions, though, you know, these people are smart. You know, a lot of very brilliant people are in the Writers Guild that the teams at the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild, they're investing a ton of time into educating themselves about these new technologies. But what I'm hearing is, yes … they want guardrails, and they want due credit and attribution about, you know, what is coming out of these large language model opportunities. They know that this is going to be a powerful tool that people who really embrace it are going to find a unique competitive advantage against those who frankly just take the binary position of resisting it. “
As the WGA writer’s strike enters its third week, actress and computer scientist Justine Bateman posted a tweet detailing how artificial intelligence could disrupt the entertainment industry—and what actors can do to protect themselves:
“A.I. has to be [addressed] now or never. I believe this is the last time any labor action will be effective in our business. If we don’t make strong rules now, they simply won’t notice if we strike in three years, because at that point they won’t need us.”
In fact, understanding the state of AI, Bateman encouraged actors to demand “iron-clad protection” against the use of their image and voice to protect their livelihood.
From the Writers
Writers of various hit TV shows and films — Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), Ashley Nicole Black (Ted Lasso, A Black Lady Sketch Show), Justin Halpern (Harley Quinn, Abbott Elementary), Jeffrey Lieber (Lost), Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (Yellowjackets), and many more — have expressed support for their union and declared that they are voting “yes” on strike authorization.
As Silo creator and Wool writer Hugh Howey told WIRED this week,
“Automation was going to take jobs, but so far it’s only changed jobs.But just because writing can be done by a machine doesn’t mean it should, or that it will generate the best, most original story. Fast fashion has pushed mass-produced garments everywhere, but the costs, while cheap, are exorbitant.”
Shrenik Rao, editor-in-chief of Madras Courier, shared his concerns about AI taking over other creative professionals.
“We are living in a time of rapid technological change. We must be mindful to ensure that these advances do not lead to job losses or create an unequal playing field. Bots could replace journalists and columnists. Illustrators, cartoonists and artists could lose their jobs, too. Instead of telling stories in the public interest, stories will be produced based on what will garner views or clicks.”
Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade, believes that the use of AI won’t just be screenwriting, but it will be everything, from editing to storyboarding to directing.
“AI in the future, maybe not next year or the year after, but if we’re talking 10 years? AI is [absolutely] going to be able to do all of these things,” Wade said.
Our Perspective
In many ways, the strike initiated by the WGA about the role of AI in impacting writers’ professions is part of a much bigger concern; how will human workers will be negatively affected with the developments in AI? This concern will extend to almost all creative jobs and many other kinds of white-collar vocations very soon. This is a sentiment expressed by many AI companies currently working in the video and film space. And with the state of algorithms today, it's not a distant reality that we will soon have a movie purely written and created by AI. So, it is of utmost importance that some regulations are put in place to safeguard workers very soon, and the issue not be dismissed. If not, we can imagine more such professionals from various fields joining such strikes.
The AI technology in question, large language models, comes with various unresolved legal questions: does copyright, patent, and trademark infringement apply to generative AI creations? Who owns the content created by these AI tools? Is it okay to use the existing content owned by various parties for training these AI algorithms? The writers are justified in asking that their content not be used for training these algorithms. With the EU putting together its AI Act, China crafting regulations, and the US undergoing Senate hearings with CEOs of various AI companies, countries across the globe are just trying to understand the impact and consequences AI will have. So, till the rules are in place and the rights of the writers are safeguarded, it does make sense to not let their writings be allowed to be used for training data.
While completely AI-written and created content is not too far away, the use of AI as of now in the creative process could be limited to helping writers draft and brainstorm ideas Not undermining the writers’ job, we are cognizant of the fact that this too takes away from their job and threatens their job security. However, in the realm of the creative process, an important aspect is expression, originality, and creativity. Every content creator brings in their own flavor to what they create. Would AI algorithms be able to do so? How will AI impact the kind of content being created? How would the audience react to the AI content? And, how long can AI screenwriting last the ‘originality’ streak?
Conclusion
It's been more than two months since the writers have been striking. And, among concerns regarding wage compensation, they are also trying to safeguard their job in the current AI climate. There is no denying such large language models and generative AI, in general, can be helpful for content creators today. It can potentially speed up the creation cycle and also save them money, but there are a lot of legal unanswered questions around it. And, hence it is important to ensure that the writers’ voices are heard and their concerns are not dismissed till rules and regulations are put in place. It could also be beneficial to hold off using AI in commercial creative processes till then.
 | A guest post by
|