Hollywood actors have gone on strike, including over AI

US actors' union SAG-AFTRA has gone on strike over, among other things, a proposal by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to digitise actors using artificial intelligence.

Here's What We Know

According to a statement from AMPTP, the rejected deal included a "groundbreaking AI proposal," that "protect performers' digital likenesses". The agreement required actors to agree to "creation and use of digital replicas or for digital alterations of a performance".

SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has sharply criticised the proposal. He believes film studios will be able to use digital copies of actors indefinitely without their consent or compensation.

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said the union's inaction could lead to performers simply being replaced by machines.

The strike by the union, which represents 160,000 actors, began on July 14. It prohibits them from participating in film shoots and promotional campaigns. Given the strike of American screenwriters, film production in Hollywood is practically stopped.

Source: Engadget