Writer’s Guild strike ends with tentative deal approved, AI key negotiation
The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike is set to officially end as leaders approved a tentative deal with entertainment studios in Hollywood, part of which includes artificial intelligence (AI) usage in the industry.
After nearly five months, the strike, which began on May 2, 2023, was pronounced over at 12:01 am PT on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, as reported by Deadline.
One of the major argument points of the WGA, aside from higher wages and fairer contracts, was in regard to AI practices and implementation.
In August, Hollywood studios sent out a memo to the writers and actors on strike with a proposal for AI usage, though it was not sufficient for either guild.
The terms of the official agreed upon tentative deal with the WGA explained that:
According to Deadline, this means that AI-generated material is not allowed to be used to “undermine” a writer’s credit. The deal also says:
Ellen Stutzman, one of the chiefs of the WGA, said that prior to going on strike, AI terms were ones that studios “refused to negotiate” prior to the strike.
Related: US judge rules in favor of human ingenuity, denies copyright for AI art
Additionally, companies must be transparent with writers when AI-generated content is given to them or incorporated into a project. The WGA says it “reserves the right to assert that exploitation of writers’ material to train AI is prohibited by MBA or other law.”
The most recent agreements affect the WGA, which was one of the two entertainment unions on strike. SAG-AFTRA, the other striking union, represents actors and other “media professionals.” This union joined the WGA on July 14, 2023, and is currently still striking.
AI is one of the main components SAG-AFTRA is fighting against as well. The AI
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