2023-08-03 12:32:00
The writers’ union strike in Hollywood has been going on for three months. Since mid-July, the US Actors Guild has joined them. Interrupted filming of films and series, abandoned premieres, canceled interviews – the effects of the strike are already being felt around the world. Hollywood actors and screenwriters are concerned not only with the conclusion of new contracts, they also require the protection of their creativity from artificial intelligence.
Fear of artificial intelligence
In fact, artificial intelligence may very soon turn all the cards in the film industry. Actors’ and authors’ associations are sounding the alarm. The authors fear that language modules such as ChatGPT will soon be able to write entire scripts. Actors are fighting for their copyright and the possibility of its implementation. Modern algorithms are able to create digital images of actors. Theoretically, this can be used – without additional fees. For example, use the voice of famous actors.
Fear of a new form of “digital exploitation” is being felt both in Hollywood and on European film sets. In Germany, for example, 70 percent of all actors have an annual income of less than 30,000 euros, according to the German Actors’ Union. 60 percent earn even less than 20 thousand euros, and only four percent earn more than 100 thousand euros per year. The boom in streaming platforms, high inflation and the introduction of artificial intelligence into the film industry are all making creative people worry about their future.
“The need for decisive action”
Many filmmakers fear for their existence, both in Germany and in the US. “In terms of structure and market situation, we have the same problems,” emphasizes Hans-Werner Meyer, board member of the Federal Actors Association (BFFS) in Berlin. True, in the United States, as the German expert notes, the structure itself is simpler. “On the one hand, a very strong trade union, on the other, strong employers. A classic labor dispute,” explains Hans-Werner Meyer in an interview with DW.
Actor Hans-Werner Meyer, board member of the Federal Actors Association (BFFS) Photo: Ole Graf
However, in both the US and Germany, there is a huge need to regulate the implementation of artificial intelligence. Not only Meyer thinks so, but also Jan Herchenröder, executive director of the German Screenwriters Association. “We see a very strong need for decisive action here,” he stresses.
What can ChatGPT do that a real screenwriter and writer can’t? “If you set the right parameters, the software can do research, make sentences, create templates, texts, and even suggest scene sketches and dialogue very quickly,” says Herchenröder. What the machine can’t: “It can’t give deeper results. It can’t yet”… If the goal is to develop a script for a feature film or individual episodes, to create a conflict or emotional situation between characters, then a computer program with this task cannot copes. “The time frame that is usually necessary for the development of the plot is significantly reduced. And everything that takes less time costs less,” says the German expert. Therefore, there is an urgent need to adopt rules for the production of films using artificial intelligence.
Jan Herchenröder, Executive Director of the German Screenwriters AssociationPhoto: VDD
But who should develop new rules for the film industry? What if these rules come too late? “Politicians have finally woken up and are active,” says Herchenroeder, referring to discussions on the adoption of a law on artificial intelligence at the European level. “The technology is there, clear rules are needed to use it,” the expert is sure. Of course, the right to make decisions on the use of artificial intelligence should remain with the authors. “We can only assume that viewers will continue to prefer living people over computer programs,” hopes the executive director of the German Screenwriters Association.
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