Hollywood, the world's biggest film industry mecca, has stopped due to a simultaneous strike by the two labor unions of writers and actors. It is the first time in 63 years that a writer and actor union has been on strike since 1960. According to the LA Times, CBS, and CNBC, AI is the critical problem that led them to go on strike. AI is rapidly encroaching on the realm of Hollywood artisans, and the strike could continue until clear standards and regulations on AI ethics are established. The strike damage in the U.S. movie and TV market, worth 134 billion dollars per year, is estimated to exceed 4 billion dollars. In the 90th year of its establishment, the U.S. Actor and Broadcaster Trade Union (SAG-AFTRA), which includes 160,000 people, launched an indefinite general strike at midnight on the 14th (local time). Since last month, they have negotiated employment contracts with the Federation of Film and TV Producers, such as Disney, Universal, and Netflix, and even the federal government intervened to mediate at the last minute, but the negotiations broke down.

 

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people have been staging street protests in LA and New York for two months since Hollywood's other major union, the Writers' Union (WGA), also decided to strike in May. TV programs and film production have already been all-stop. TV and movie scripts, which several writers have used for months to years, are instantly made plausible with generative AI such as Chat GPT. Billy Ray, a famous screenwriter, and director, criticized, "Easy-made scripts will be easily consumed and thrown away." In addition, writers and actors argue that as the video streaming market proliferates, big tech platform companies such as Netflix, Apple, and YouTube profits surge, but royalties such as re-screening distribution are not adequately distributed to them. 

 

The faces and voices of actors and voice actors are being recreated as much as possible with deep fake (a technology in which AI naturally synthesizes different images and images). The concept of "AI avatar copyright" was also created, and famous actors such as Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise took huge copyrights. Even Tom Hanks shows a strange reaction, saying, "It means I can continue to act even if I die in a car accident right away." A profound fake advertisement using Bruce Willis, who retired last year due to aphasia, was released without knowing it, sparking controversy. In the labor-management negotiations, the Federation of Producers reportedly proposed that "the company owns the image and can work with AI and use it forever if the actors take it for only a day." Actors say, "We must develop special measures to protect digital portrait rights." Many movie staff are also in crisis. Harrison Ford, an 80-year-old actor, was able to play his 40s in "Indiana Jones" with AI de-aging technology. This means that unique makeup, visual and sound effects artists, and video editing experts, who were recognized for their scarcity in the past, will need more space. 

 

As top Hollywood stars declared their participation and support for the "AI strike," global fans are expected to take on various controversies in the AI era. The production and cast of Christopher Nolan's new film "Oppenheimer" moved up the time of the London premiere on the 13th to unite with the strike of the actor's union, and the lead actor Matt Damon and others left the premiere when the strike began in LA. "This strike is a matter of life and death," Damon said. "We cannot stop working, but fair negotiations are important." More than 300 famous actors, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Stiller, and Margot Robbie, also announced their participation in the strike.