A new Hollywood Writers deal is expected to allow studios to train artifical-intelligence models on scripts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the writers would also walk away with an important win, and be guaranteed credit and compensation for work they do on scripts, even if studios partially rely on AI tools.
Entertainment executives didn’t want to give up the right to train their own AI tools based on TV and movie scripts, as their understanding is that AI tech platforms already are training their own models on such materials.
Under the contract, raw, AI-generated storylines will not be regarded as “literary material” which means they will not be competing with computers for screen credits. Nor will AI-generated stories be considered “source” material.
Writers have the right under the deal to use AI in their process if the company they are working for agrees and other conditions are met. But companies cannot require a writer to use AI.
Writers have agreed to call off strikes after board members approved the contract.
In tweets from its eastern and western branches, the WGA said: “The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Today, our Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike ends at 12.01am.”
After Tuesday’s board votes, the contracts were released to the writers who had not yet been given any details on the deal, which their leaders called “exceptional”.
The three-year agreement includes significant wins over compensation, length of employment, size of staff and control of artificial intelligence (AI).
Since May 2, more than 11,000 WGA members have been on strike over issues including pay and the threat of artificial intelligence.
However, does not mean that Hollywood stars will be back at work as talks have not yet resumed between studios and striking actors who are part of Sag-Aftra (the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists).
While writers’ picket lines have been suspended, they were encouraged to walk in solidarity with actors, and many were on the lines on Tuesday, including Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.
“We would never have had the leverage we had if SAG had not gone out,” Mr Weiner said. “They were very brave to do it.”
