Hollywood strikes and artificial intelligence

[The Laughing Fish]

Unless you've been living under a rock, the whole entertainment industry has been hit by writers' AND actors' strikes because of the dispute over residuals on streaming, and the studios' desire to use artificial intelligence unregulated. As such, every film and TV production has been halted for the time being, and nobody is allowed to do any promo work for upcoming film and TV shows either.

Regarding AI, there is a lot of tension between both writing and acting unions over how their work could be replaced by this technology. As far as actors are concerned, this part is giving them lots of outrage and fear for their jobs:

Performers need the protection of our images and performances to prevent replacement of human performances by artificial intelligence technology.

• Us: Here's a comprehensive set of provisions to grant informed consent and fair compensation when a "digital replica" is made or our performance is changed
  using AI.
• Them: We want to be able to scan a background performer's image, pay them for a half a day's labor, and then use an individual's likeness for any purpose forever without their consent. We also want to be able to make changes to principal performers' dialogue, and even create new scenes, without informed consent.
  
  And we want to be able to use someone's images, likenesses, and performances to train new generative AI systems without consent or compensation.
  

https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/SAG-AFTRA_Negotiations_Status_7_13_23.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QcUANWz-vE0?feature=share

This is ugly beyond belief. Whether it's an A-Lister, mid-range actor, or an extra - nobody should have their likeness recreated forever without their consent. What's the point of making films and TV shows then? You might as well stick to animation. But then again, if you can recreate actors' voices too, then professional voice actors aren't safe either.

There was even word going around that an anonymous film executive said they're happy to let the writers' strike go on until the writers start losing their homes, saying it's "a cruel but necessary evil". Well, with that sort of attitude, it's no wonder why a studio like WB has been a poisonous hellhole for the last several years.

I'm pretty impressed with how greed and ego are tearing Hollywood apart. Every creative person believes they are facing an existential crisis right now. If what SAG-AFTRA says is true, part-time acting jobs and background extras could risk becoming a thing of the past.

Well, all I can say is the more unions the better. Last week, it was revealed that WB Animation's department are trying to set up a union for their own profession, and there have been complaints in the digital effects world that too many artists have been overworked and exploited by Marvel Studios. Unlike the actors and writers, digital effects are not unionised.

How all of this is going to be concluded, and it will be concluded at some point, will be very fascinating.

[thecolorsblend]

I'm actually kind of impressed that Hollywood unions are leading the way on something relevant for a change. I mean, yes, they have their own livelihoods to consider.

But ultimately, everyone has skin in the game when it comes to AI.

As to residuals, this is a bigger issue than a lot of people realize. Between the death of physical media and streaming, residuals have pretty much dried up. This would be understandable if streaming had proven to be lucrative for the studios. But aside from Netflix (until recently), streaming has never been profitable. I've wondered more than once if streaming as we know it won't eventually have to face the same restrictions and limitations as TV broadcasts. Remember when films debuted on network TV? It was usually years after the theatrical premiere, when the box office and home video markets had been truly tapped out.

[The Laughing Fish]

I'm actually kind of impressed that Hollywood unions are leading the way on something relevant for a change. I mean, yes, they have their own livelihoods to consider.

But ultimately, everyone has skin in the game when it comes to AI.

The concerns over AI reminds me of the themes touched on in the video game Detroit: Become Human. In that game, you play three different android characters that affect the outcome of an existential crisis between humans and androids. One moment that reminds me of this AI talk had human protestors expressing their anger and disgust at losing just about every job in the labour market to service androids. That game was made in 2018. Fast forward to 2023 and now we have actors and writers resisting the very idea of complete automation of their work. Before you know it, when AI advances further it will start to have an overwhelming effect on fields involving computer programming, medicine, engineering, education, and so forth.

To think the thought-provoking ideas of that game are becoming a warning of things to come in the future is very unsettling.

As to residuals, this is a bigger issue than a lot of people realize. Between the death of physical media and streaming, residuals have pretty much dried up. This would be understandable if streaming had proven to be lucrative for the studios. But aside from Netflix (until recently), streaming has never been profitable. I've wondered more than once if streaming as we know it won't eventually have to face the same restrictions and limitations as TV broadcasts. Remember when films debuted on network TV? It was usually years after the theatrical premiere, when the box office and home video markets had been truly tapped out.

If it's true that streaming is nowhere near as profitable as the corporations make them out to be then that must explain why WBD wrote off Batgirl, Scooby-Doo films, and downsized their content on HBO Max...or Max as it's called nowadays. This might be another contribution to the studio's dire financial situation.

[The Laughing Fish]

A few weeks ago, WB Animation and Cartoon Network joined the Animation Guild, and a couple of days ago, VFX artists at Marvel Studios are now becoming the first in their field to join a union.

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/warner-bros-animation-cartoon-network-production-workers-animation-guild-230720.html
https://www.businessinsi
der.com/marvel-vfx-artists-become-first-in-their-industry-to-unionize-2023-8

Great news for the VFX workers. If you read about these anonymous leaks last year, Marvel has been exploiting them badly to the point it's becoming abusive.

None of this is deterring the studios though. In the midst of all this, Netflix is seeking to hire project manager for particular AI jobs for hundreds and thousands of dollars, and the WGA's meeting with AMPTP for the first time in months last week seems to have not gone anywhere. At this stage, this chaos won't end till the end of the year.

[Travesty]

But ultimately, everyone has skin in the game when it comes to AI.

Yeah, the next 5-10 years are going to be very, very scary. AI is going to outright disrupt society in a way we've never seen before. And with how slow most governments work, I don't see any kind of real solution to this that doesn't end in complete disaster.

A lot of people are going to be out of work and money. I honestly don't know how a large portion of society is going to live or be able to buy food? And I really don't want to be in some kind of Socialist or Communist hell hole.

It's gonna be bad.

[The Laughing Fish]

The WGA and AMPTP have reached an agreement, which means the writers' strike is over.

Here is the summary over the use of AI:

5. Artificial Intelligence

We have established regulations for the use of artificial intelligence ("AI") on MBA-covered projects in the following ways:

• AI can't write or rewrite literary material, and AI-generated material will not be considered source material under the MBA, meaning that AI-generated material can't be used to undermine a writer's credit or separate rights.
• A writer can choose to use AI when performing writing services, if the company consents and provided that the writer follows applicable company policies, but the company can't require the writer to use AI software (e.g., ChatGPT) when performing writing services.
• The Company must disclose to the writer if any materials given to the writer have been generated by AI or incorporate AI-generated material.
• The WGA reserves the right to assert that exploitation of writers' material to train AI is prohibited by MBA or other law.

https://www.wgacontract2023.org/the-campaign/summary-of-the-2023-wga-mba

The wording of these bullet points may seem a little confusing to read, but these safeguards must've been implemented according to a legal ruling that AI isn't permissible for copyright:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/ai-works-not-copyrightable-studios-1235570316/

SAG-AFTRA is going to return to the negotiating table next week. This comes a day after the union voted in favour of a strike authorisation against the video game industry. Until an agreement is reached, the actors' strike is still ongoing.

If I'm a writer, I wouldn't feel comfortable that AI still has its presence felt no matter the restrictions, because Hollywood has proven itself to be a sneaky, treacherous industry that can worm its way through technicalities. Maybe the studios can't exploit AI right now, but who knows what the future holds. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I can't help but feel WGA got pressured when the likes of Bill Maher and Drew Barrymore announced they were going to restart their talk shows. Yes, they did a U-turn due to backlash, but the message was loud and clear: people were tired of going on strike. It doesn't help that the deal only lasts for three years. Is that really going to be enough to help matters in the long term? What will happen in 2026 when the contract is up for renewal and the studios clash with the union again?

[The Laughing Fish]

https://themessenger.com/entertainment/james-dean-reportedly-appearing-new-film-artificial-intelligence

I thought this project was cancelled, but now it has resurfaced.

Samuel L. Jackson made his distaste for the technology very clear in that article: "Future actors should do what I always do when I get a contract, and it has the words 'in perpetuity' and 'known and unknown' on it: I cross that sh*t out. It's my way of saying, 'No, I do not approve of this.'"

Tom Hanks warned people about an ad that used his digital likeness to sell dental insurance.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-02/ai-tom-hanks-dental-plan-ad-scam/102924118

This article covers some fascinating story:

The use of artificial intelligence and celebrity faces has been a key part of negotiations in the ongoing Hollywood strikes.

Concern over use of their own faces and voices has even sparked some actors to take legal action, including Indian actor Anil Kapoor.

Kapoor, who is best known for his role in 2008's Slumdog Millionaire, last month won a landmark court case against unauthorised AI-generated images of himself.

A Delhi court has now prohibited "misusing his personality attributes without his permission in any manner", with a judge in the case saying courts "can't turn a blind eye to such misuse".

Matildas captain Sam Kerr is now an AI chatbot called Sally
Meta unveils new celebrity AI chatbots, smart glasses and a refreshed mixed reality headset.

A white man gives a presentation from a large stage, in front of an image of a dozen or so other people's faces
Read more
The 66-year-old actor filed the lawsuit after discovering deepfake content of himself and his characters online.

"It's not only for me," he told Variety after the ruling.

"Today I'm there to protect myself, but when I'm not there, the family should have the right to protect my (personality) and gain from it in future.

"Because of the way technology and the AI technology [...] which can completely take advantage of and be misused commercially, as well as where my image, voice, morphing, GIFs and deep fakes are concerned, I can straight away, if that happens, send a court order and injunction and they have to pull it down."

It also stated the family of former F1 racer Michael Schumacher threatened legal action against a tabloid newspaper for using AI to create a fake interview with the man, who has been brain-damaged for a decade.

While I'm at it, a couple of Snyderverse fans on YouTube shared their AI-generated voice recordings of Ben Affleck:

and Gunn:

Uncanny.

[The Laughing Fish]

The actors strike was declared over a week ago, but not everyone is happy with the tentative deal. As a matter of fact, some are saying the deal has failed to provide adequate protection for actors from AI exploitation.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/justine-bateman-slams-sag-aftra-tentative-deal-ai-provisions-1235644976/

https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/sag-aftra-ai-artificial-intelligence-board-no-votes-1235790853/

I've read a fair bit of Justine Batemen's Twitter thread highlighting some of the terms in this new contract, and from what I understood, the ambiguous wording of the contract leaves AI guidelines open to interpretation that could favour the studio's interests. In other words, there are many loopholes that could leave actors at a huge disadvantage.

After all the grandstanding Fran Drescher made about AI threatening her industry's livelihood, it seems the efforts to strike against this area were left in vain. They may have secured a deal with better residual pay, but the threat of AI exploitation looms. If that's so, it's very disappointing outcome.

[thecolorsblend]

With stuff like this, there's the deal you want and then there's the deal you're able to get. As long as inroads are being made, then it wasn't a total loss. I mean, it wasn't a total success either. Not even close. But it's not a complete loss.

Live to fight another day.

[The Laughing Fish]

WBD announced it wants to pour more money and resources into building an ambitious metaverse project with an AI company. This writer from Forbes says it's a stupid idea.

WB's 'Ready Player One' Blockchain, VR, AR, AI 'Readyverse' Will Of Course Be A Disaster

Despite being many, many billions of dollars in debt to the point where it is deleting movies and shows as tax writedowns or to avoid paying residuals, Warner Bros. thinks it's going to make the metaverse.

In a just-announced project, WB says they are partnering with AI company Futurverse to bring the metaverse of Ready Player One to life. No, it's not called OASIS, the actual name of the virtual world in the book and movie, it's called the "Readyverse." Of course it is. Here's part of the press release:

"Readyverse Studios is building the definitive destination for fans to explore their favorite stories and IP in the metaverse, leveraging web3, metaverse games and experiences, augmented reality, and virtual reality technologies."

"In 2024, Readyverse Studios will launch "The Readyverse," a dynamic interactive platform of interconnected digital experiences. In its first major rights deal, Readyverse Studios has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to exclusively bring the Ready Player One franchise to the metaverse across web3."

While attempting to make a new metaverse in 2024 is already an extremely rocky prospect, you very much have lost the plot when you are also trying to build it in web3 using blockchain tech, as we have seen countless failures in that space and an utter rejection of it in video games specifically. What we have here is WB combining all the big tech buzzwords of the last few years, AR, VR, web 3, the metaverse and AI into a single project that sounds far too bloated and backwards to work in any meaningful way.

The idea is that WB can use the Ready Player One branding and its owned IP to make this work but even if you can convince people to sign up for something called the web3 "Readyverse," it's a bizarre situation as a game like Fortnite, the real, actual closest thing to a metaverse we have, already has loads of licensed characters from WB itself. The biggest pool are dozens and dozens of superheroes from DC, including the biggest heroes in the space like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and really almost all of the Justice League at this point.

But WB has other franchises, Harry Potter, Godzilla, Blade Runner, Lord of the Rings, Mortal Kombat, The Matrix, which have stayed out of Fortnite and I suppose might be employed in the Readyverse. The existence of WB's own metaverse project may actually be why the rest of those IPs have not come to Fortnite, I'm now realizing.

Of course, the entire point of OASIS in Ready Player One was that it was a haven to escape the horrors of real life, but ultimately damaging to its users, which is why, in the end, the hero decides to shut it off (though of course it returns for a sequel). But author Ernie Cline is on board because I mean, he wants metaverse money, should any exist.

VR is only briefly mentioned which is odd considering that OASIS was built entirely with VR, but that has proven to be a disaster for places like Meta and its Horizon Worlds VR space. But here, I'd almost rather have this be entirely VR-centric than blockchain based, as I mean, listen to this:

"The Readyverse will champion the principles of the open metaverse, which are provable digital ownership, community-owned infrastructure, decentralization, security, and interoperability."

Wow, sounds like a blast. Good luck guys, you'll need it.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/01/05/wbs-ready-player-one-blockchain-vr-ar-ai-readyverse-will-of-course-be-a-disaster/?sh=55f733ac4309