Hollywood Writers Go on Strike Against AI Tools, Call It ‘Plagiarism Machine’

Technology innovations are nothing new to the entertainment sector. How movies and TV shows are produced has changed substantially throughout time, largely thanks to technology. But the most recent change in the field has caused a considerable uproar among Hollywood writers. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in scriptwriting has prompted thousands of Hollywood screenwriters for motion pictures and television to go on strike. The current strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the first in 15 years. Several issues, including the disagreement over AI, led to the strike on Monday.

Source: Twitter

WGA, the writers’ organization, advocates for restrictions on AI’s use in creating screenplays for movies and television shows. Hollywood studios are already dealing with shrinking ad revenues and battling to make streaming services profitable. They have hence rejected the request, stating that they would only be open to discussing new technologies once a year.

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Why Are Writers Against the Use of AI in Scriptwriting?

Writers are reluctant to correct AI’s shoddy initial manuscripts because they first worry about their work feeding the technology. The WGA negotiating committee member and screenwriter John August stated that authors had two reservations about AI. He said we don’t want to provide them with our content or edit their shoddy first drafts.

Using OpenAI’s Dall-E, which generates lifelike images, AI has already helped create animated short films by removing excessive profanity from an actor’s dialogue and wrinkles from aging performers’ faces. Additionally, some writers have begun investigating the use of AI for script creation.

Seymour, a writer, claims that AI may assist authors in overcoming the “blank piece of the paper phenomenon” and is effective at creating direct, frank speech. It lacks nuance, though, and he isn’t arguing that AI will ever make a work like “Citizen Kane.”

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Why Is the Writers Guild of America Concerned?

According to the Writers Guild of America (WGA), AI might result in authors being undervalued or ignored. For instance, studios could engage them to perform a second rather than a first draft, which pays less. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) stated that to resolve this issue, any content produced by an AI system, such as ChatGPT, should not be classified as “literary material” or “source material,” which are terms that are already clearly defined in their current contract. A writer cannot be paid less for rewriting or polishing work if a studio executive gives them a script AI produces for modifications.

The union also argues that training artificial intelligence using present scripts is inappropriate since doing so might result in intellectual property theft. Ellen Stutzman, the WGA’s chief negotiator, remarked that some of their members call AI “plagiarism machines.”

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What Does This Mean for the Future of Entertainment?

The fight over AI’s participation in the creative process may define the future of entertainment for decades to come, even though it is one of the final topics covered in a WGA summary of bargaining issues, many of which center on enhancing remuneration in the streaming age.

Our Say

In conclusion, there is rising worry among authors about the use of AI in scriptwriting. This is most evident from the Hollywood film and TV writers’ strike. Although AI has benefits, writers worry about being ignored or undervalued. The future of entertainment will be shaped by the employment of AI in scriptwriting, as well as how the talks between the Writers Guild of America and Hollywood studios turn out.