Hollywood writers went on strike over pay this week, but the decision by companies like Netflix and Disney to use artificial intelligence to replace human writers in the future only fuels anger and fear among the protesters.

AI programs such as ChatGPT, which have an increasing ability to amazingly mimic human conversation, are raising concerns across many industries. As such, the White House called a meeting with Big Tech this week to discuss potential threats. As part of weekly talks with studios and streaming platforms that ended Monday, the Writers Guild of America has asked for binding contracts to govern the use of artificial intelligence. According to the proposal, nothing written by AI can be considered "literary" or "source" material - industry terms that govern who receives royalties - and scripts written by WGA members cannot be "used to train AI." However, according to the WGA, the studios "rejected our proposal" and responded with a proposal to meet once a year to "discuss advances in technology".

The writers' strike is gaining momentum after the statements of streaming platforms that writers in the future may be replaced by artificial intelligence. Netflix and Disney have confirmed that they allow the use of algorithms.

"It's nice that they're offering a meeting about how they're using this against us!" joked WGA negotiating committee member Eric Heisserer, who wrote the script for Netflix's Bird Box. “Art cannot be made by a machine. You are losing the heart and soul of history... I mean the first word is 'artificial', he told AFP during a picket outside the streaming giant's headquarters. While writers already know this, the danger is that "we have to watch tech companies destroy business trying to find out," he said.

While few of the television and film writers who spoke to AFP believe their work could be replaced by computers, for many it was an added blow that studios and streaming platforms believe in the possibility of such a replacement. Screenwriters fear that Hollywood executives, where Silicon Valley companies have overturned many traditional practices such as long-term contracts for screenwriters, may try to cut costs even further by forcing computers to write more blockbusters. The statements of Hollywood's top executives at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills did not dispel the writers' fears in any way. "In the next three years, you're going to see a movie that's been written by AI and shot…good," said film producer Todd Lieberman. “Not just scripts. Editing, everything… scriptwriting, whatever,” added Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade. "AI in the future, maybe not next year or next year, but if we're talking about 10 years? Artificial intelligence will be able to do absolutely all of these things.”

Even for sci-fi writer Ben Ripley, who believes AI plays no role in writing, the introduction of legislation "to put up barriers" is "very necessary". Writers "have to be original," he said. "Artificial intelligence is the antithesis of originality."

#netflix #disney #ai #artificialintelligence #movies #film #technology