The debate around the impact of artificial intelligence on everyday life has intensified as software like ChatGPT has gone viral. But the technology is also central to the US writers’ strike, the future of the TV industry and maybe much more.
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No sooner has Bill Gates declared artificial intelligence (AI) “as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet and the mobile phone” than Elon Musk calls for a six-month moratorium on development of the technology.
Sour grapes from the Tesla and SpaceX boss perhaps, watching as Microsoft’s share price spiked following its recent US$10bn investment in ChatGPT creator OpenAI, which Musk co-founded in 2015 alongside CEO Sam Altman but is now no longer involved with.
But the Twitter owner was not alone in warning of an ‘out-of-control’ AI race threatening the future of humanity, with other signatories of an open letter including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
All the chat these past few months has been about AI and the impact it will have on all aspects of our lives, with a report from Goldman Sachs in March claiming it will affect 300 million jobs worldwide. The creative industries are among those at the sharp end.
AI is already being used by a company called Genius Brands International to create children’s TV shows, while an AI-generated spoof of Seinfeld has grabbed headlines, and simulated Wes Anderson-directed Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings trailers have also surfaced.
Such has been the momentum behind AI that it is now a key issue in the US writers’ strike, with scribes and the union representing them fearing for the future of their craft, with machines now more than capable of drafting entire scripts.
An AI-generated spoof of Seinfeld
Among the Writers Guild of America (WGA)’s demands is that studios and streamers “regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies.” Protestors even flew a light aircraft over Los Angeles trailing a banner that read: “Pay the writers, you AI-holes.”
The arguments are complex and subtle. While the WGA is not opposed to writers making use of AI software to help them devise or hone material, it is eager to guarantee they still receive full artistic credit and their fair share of the associated residuals.
On the other side of the negotiating table, the studios and streamers – represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – acknowledge that “AI raises hard, important creative and legal questions for everyone.”
But the organisation notes that “writers want to be able to use this technology as part of their creative process, without changing how credits are determined, which is complicated, given AI material can’t be copyrighted. So it’s something that requires a lot more discussion.”
Some doomsayers have warned a future ‘God-like AI’ could destroy humans or make us obsolete and even the so-called ‘godfather of AI,’ Geoffrey Hinton, quit his job at Google recently so he could talk freely about the dangers of the technology.
Within the TV industry, the debate is already highly existential, with the AMPTP pointing out its previous (though now expired) agreement with the WGA specifies a writer as a “person,” meaning that “AI-generated material would not be eligible for writing credit.”
Things get even deeper when it comes to AI-simulated actors’ performances. Movie stars have few complaints when it comes to the now common practice of using AI to magically de-age them on-screen, but an outright appropriation of their physical form – and without returning them financial reward – is simply a bridge too far.
“Anybody can now recreate themselves at any age they are by way of AI or deep-fake technology,” Tom Hanks told the Adam Buxton Podcast recently. “I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but my performances can go on and on and on.”
A spoof trailer of Harry Potter as if directed by Wes Anderson
Hence, AI is also a key point in contract renewal talks between the national board of US actors’ union SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP, which are taking place. “The terms and conditions involving rights to digitally simulate a performer to create new performances must be bargained with the union,” the union has already said in a statement.
Meanwhile, fellow labour rights syndicate IATSE, which represents production crew, has launched its own working group to examine AI’s potential impact for its members.
Elsewhere, directors and filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, Seth Rogen and Joe Russo have all sounded off about the technology in the past few months, with the latter suggesting it may be only a couple of years before AI is capable of creating movies.
TV execs at the highest level have also been forced to weigh in on the subject, with Disney CEO Bob Iger saying on the company’s latest earnings call that while he foresees plenty of disruption, he is “bullish overall about the prospects for efficiencies.”
While the Mouse House head honcho was referring to AI as a means of getting closer to consumers, some have suggested the writers’ strike may, ironically, strengthen the use case for studios investing in the tech. ChatGPT will, after all, never ‘put down its pen’ or pause its generative algorithms unless it is told to do so – until the day it decides to disregard our instructions, of course.
