Hollywood Actors Strike Ends With a Deal That Will Impact AI and Streaming for Decades
WiredOct 31, 2023
Hollywood Actors Strike Ends
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The Facts
A tentative deal between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television Radio Artists and a group representing the streamers and studios agreed late Wednesday to effectively end — pending approval by union members — a four-month-long strike.
More than 160K members of SAG-AFTRA [Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists], who walked off the job July 14, agreed to a three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which includes Disney, Netflix, and Amazon among its membership.
The Spin
Narrative A
It's about time the actors got back to work. Actors have adequate pay and leave time already. Instead of railing against AI, the union and its members should be figuring out ways to utilize the technology to their advantage because AI is here to stay. This strike was disruptive, and unnecessary, and tried to buck the trends of the future.
Narrative B
It was important not just for the livelihood of current actors, but future actors, to get a deal done with protections from the studios replacing people with AI. If studios are allowed to own an actor's image or voice in perpetuity, not only could it cost jobs but it could lead to actors showing up in projects without their approval. The strike was worthwhile and the labor gains were historic.
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