Photo:John Salangsang/Shutterstock
John Salangsang/Shutterstock
SAG-AFTRA leadership is calling out the artificial-intelligence proposal that the AMPTP offered, claiming it’s bogus.
In a press conferenceannouncing the union’s intention to strikeagainst the AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in part, “This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation.”
“So if you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again,” he added Thursday.
In a statement aheadof the union’s decision, the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) said their offer to SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) included “a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors' digital likenesses.”
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Among the actors who have spoken out about the AI issue isJohn Cusack, who alleged in a tweet late Thursday night, “Studios wanna have extras work one day, scan them –own their likeness forever– and eliminate them from the business."
“Do you think they will stop with extras ? That’s what AI is – a giant Copyright identity theft,” he continued, in part.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher speaks during a press conference at the labor union’s headquarters in Los Angeles on July 13, 2023.CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty
CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty
In a statement Thursday, the AMPTP said, according toABC News, “We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations. This is the Union’s choice, not ours. In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more.
“Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods,” they added. “There are 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA and over 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America.”
The strike has already affected multiple industry events, including theOppenheimerU.K. premiere in London, where the cast walked thered carpeton Thursday thenpromptly left in solidarity.
source: people.com
