The Writers Guild of America (WGA) recently went on strike over pay, but the refusal of studios like Netflix and Disney to rule out artificial intelligence (AI) replacing human writers in the future has only added fuel to the fire on the picket lines. AI programs like ChatGPT have advanced to the point where they can mimic human conversation, and the White House recently summoned Big Tech to discuss the potential risks.
As part of the collapsed talks with studios and streamers, the WGA asked for binding agreements to regulate the use of AI. Under the proposals, nothing written by AI can be considered “literary” or “source” material, which are industry terms that decide who gets royalties, and scripts written by WGA members cannot be used to train AI. However, studios “rejected our proposal,” according to the WGA, and countered with an offer merely to meet once a year to “discuss advancements in technology.”
The fear among writers is that executives may seek to cut costs by using computers to write the next hit shows, and comments by top Hollywood executives at the recent Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills have done nothing to quell their concerns. The studios’ own account of the breakdown in WGA talks offered a more nuanced take, saying that writers do not want to outlaw AI and appear happy to use it “as part of their creative process,” as long as it does not affect their pay.
Leila Cohan, a writer on Netflix’s hit show “Bridgerton,” believes the only use of AI for writers is limited to “busy work” such as coming up with names for characters. However, she predicted that studios “could start making incredibly bad first drafts with AI and then hiring writers to do a rewrite.” Even for sci-fi writer Ben Ripley, who believes there is no role whatsoever for AI in writing, introducing legislation now “to put guardrails up” is “very necessary.”
Ultimately, writers fear that AI will destroy the art of storytelling and reduce writing to a series of algorithms. While the studios may be open to discussions on the use of AI, writers want to ensure that their work is not devalued or replaced by machines.
Post Your Comments