It appears the robot apocalypse may have been averted, at least for now. This week, the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) called an end to their 148-day strike, having drafted a new Minimum Basic Agreement with studios, streamers and producers on pay and working practices. One of the key areas is the agreement of regulations on the use of AI, which writers felt threatened their business in a variety of ways.
But TV and cinema aren’t saved yet. The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, remains on the picket line, and it’s the use of AI which is likely to cause the biggest headache in negotiations (neither the union, nor the other side, have yet indicated when they might return to the table). And it’s one which could have implications on the future of film in more ways than just being the putative antagonist of yet another dreary thriller (this week, The Creator, see our review here).
