Filmmaking is staggeringly expensive because it requires scads of human artists who need to be paid, so anything that can cut those costs would be catnip to the money folks. So the WGA wants a rule now, before it’s too late, that AI can’t be used to write or rewrite scripts, and that bots can’t be covered by bargaining agreements. This isn’t happening on any scale yet, but as AI becomes more sophisticated, the lure will be greater. But as the weeks march on, the guild is shifting attention to the threat that studios, production companies and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will use AI-generated material – which should be copyrighted, but is spit out by programs like ChatGPT-4 without credit or payment. When the screenwriters first hit the streets, negotiations were focused on how the streaming giants (including AppleTV+, Prime and Netflix) have upended the traditional payment model, turning writers into gig workers and leeching away their security. Meanwhile, as demonstrated by AI-centric series including Content Farm (CBC Gem) and the first episode of Black Mirror season 6 (Netflix) – “Joan Is Awful,” about an AI-generated reality show of the same name – the question of who (or what) controls image and content production has never been more urgent.

Those numbers refer to the 11,500 Writers Guild of America (WGA) members who have been on strike since May 2, and the 160,000 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) members who may be joining them on picket lines as of July 12.

Hollywood currently has 11,500 reasons to be leery of the bullet train that is artificial intelligence (AI), and soon they may have 160,000 more.

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