Sanctions lagging behind the rapid development of AI have led to fierce "clashes" between screenwriters, actors and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the US Photo: LOS ANGELES TIMES
Hollywood has been secretly using AI to write movie scripts and create extras for a long time. In the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity Wars , Thanos' face (played by Josh Brolin) was partially created using the technology. Crowd and battle scenes in the Lord of the Rings films have also been used with AI. The Indiana Jones series recently used the technology to make Harrison Ford's character look younger. AI is also used to color correct, find scenes faster in post-production, remove scratches and dust from footage, and more.
In the world's film capital, AI has also begun to be used in screenwriting. In March of this year, a South Park episode called Deep Learning , co-written by ChatGPT, focused heavily on the plot (characters use ChatGPT to talk to girls and do schoolwork).
Speaking to CNN , screenwriter August, author of the famous Charlie's Angels screenplay, said: "We are worried that our scripts will be turned into "material" for AI to create other scripts." The Writers Guild of America has asked the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) not to use AI technology to write or rewrite literary material, cannot be used as source material and the work of screenwriters "cannot be used to train AI".
Fran Drescher, former star of The Nanny and president of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), called the practice “insulting and disrespectful to artists. Actors need to protect their digital likenesses from unauthorized use.”
The two unions had joined forces to negotiate with AMPTP, a trade group that negotiates on behalf of Netflix Inc (NFLX.O), Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and other companies to protect the rights of writers and actors. However, the talks failed and a strike by the two unions took place. According to Reuters , SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors, voted in favor of the strike, agreeing to join forces with the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
The recent premiere of the horror comedy Haunted Mansion at the Hyperion Theatre (California) became the first major event in Hollywood where none of the actors from the film appeared. The actors of the film including Jared Leto, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Dan Levy all did not attend to show support for the strike of the Screen Actors Guild that broke out on July 13. The only person present on the red carpet of the premiere was the director of the film Justin Simien. However, he did not answer questions from the media. Next, the premiere of the film Oppenheimer on July 17 in New York was also canceled. Another event was the premiere of the TV series Special Ops: Lioness scheduled to premiere on July 18 and the comedy The Beanie Bubble of Apple TV+ were also canceled. Season 2 of the series Minx will also not premiere.
The first-ever joint strike between writers and actors is expected to impact upcoming premieres, events and festivals around the world, including the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals in September and the 75th Emmy Awards on September 19.
During the strike, actors are not filming or promoting films, according to the New York Times . The protest has delayed production of blockbusters such as sequels to Avatar and Deadpool . Late-night shows are having to air reruns, and most television productions have been shut down or halted. After 63 years, studios are now facing mass production shutdowns across the United States and abroad. Most worryingly, the union has no idea when the strike will end. “It’s just getting started,” Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement.
According to The Independent , screenwriters who have been on strike since May are still waiting for assurances from studios that their jobs will not be threatened by AI. WGA members share concerns that producers may seek to use AI to write scripts or use the technology to complete unfinished screenplays. They fear that AI could create a rough draft from a few simple suggestions and writers would then be hired to complete those drafts, but at a lower salary than usual.
It is worth mentioning that, according to Mr. Rowan Curran, an analyst at the market research company Forrester Research (USA), "artists, musicians, engineers, real estate professionals and customer service staff will all feel the impact of AI".
Thai An
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