By KIM BELLARD
I am paying close attention to the strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the organization that represents “Hollywood” writers. Oh, sure, I’m worried about the impact on my viewing habits and I know the real strike, as usual, is about the money, but what caught my eye was that it was the first strike. that I know about the impact of AI in their work is one of the important issues.
It may or may not be the first, but it certainly won’t be the last.
WGA covers this in their needs: “Regulating the use of artificial intelligence in MBA-managed projects: AI cannot write or rewrite literary material; cannot be used as source material; and MBA related materials cannot be used for AI training.” That is, if something – the script, the treatment, the outline, or even the story idea – warrants a written credit, it has to come from a writer. It’s a human writer.
John August, a screenwriter on the WGA negotiating committee, explain to The New York Times: “A horrible case of, ‘Oh, I read your script, I didn’t like that scene, so I asked ChatGPT to rewrite that scene’ — it was a nightmare scenario,”
Film studios, represented by the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP)Agree there’s a problem: “AI raises tough, important creative and legal questions for everyone.” It wanted both sides to continue to study the matter, but note that under current agreement, only a human can be considered a writer.
However, we’ve all seen examples of AI generating incredibly sensible content. “If you have an internet connection, you are already using AI-generated content,” said Jonathan Greenglass, a technology investor. speak washington articles. “It’s already here.” It’s easy to imagine some producer feeding AI a bunch of scenarios from previous installments to craft the next Star Wars, Marvel universe, or Fast and Furious release. Do you really know the difference?
Sure, maybe the AI won’t make one Citizen Kane or Godfatherbut, as Alissa Wilkinson wrote in Vox: “But here’s the thing: Cheap imitations are the power of the entertainment industry. Audiences have shown how happy they are to gobble up the same trash over and over again.”
However, all of Hollywood should be worried. The AI is already able to copy the actors’ voices and is doing a good job of creating their digital images as well. We saw the actors”old,” and it’s only a matter of time before we see actors – dead or alive – appear in scenes they never actually filmed. For that matter, we might not need camera operators, sound engineers, special effects specialists, editors, designers, and all the people who also work on TV shows. pictures and movies. That includes directors and producers.
The biggest barrier to more AI usage may not be AI capabilities or WGA contracts as it is, according to current lawAI-generated works can’t be copyrighted, and studios wouldn’t want to spend millions on something without that protection.
Of course, the employment problem of AI is not limited to Hollywood. “Whether it’s music, photography, whatever the medium, there are creatives who understandably and rightfully worry about changing their livelihoods,” said Ash Kernen, an entertainment attorney and intellectual property focused on new technology, said. speak NBC News. And it’s much, much broader than that; for example, IBM speak it is pausing hiring for jobs the AI thinks it can do, affecting 7,800 jobs already.
“In the past, there was an assumption that if you were a professional, your skills would always be in demand,” says Patricia Campos-Medina, executive director of the Cornell University Worker Institute. speak politics. “We are now starting to see the same level of insecurity…other workers have had to deal with since the Industrial Revolution.”
If you are a “creative” employee, AI will come to your job. If you are a knowledge worker, AI will come to your job. If your job requires strength and/or skill, AI-powered robots will also be available soon. Even if your job requires you to show empathy – like saying, How many doctors? – AI is coming to it.
“I think almost every job will change thanks to AI,” said Tom Davenport, a professor of information technology and management at Babson University. speak WaPo. However, he added: “That doesn’t mean those jobs are going away.” Like Andy Kessler written in WSJ: “Will artificial intelligence destroy jobs? Definitely like night after day. Old jobs disappear and new jobs are always created.”
Some companies are trying to make a giant leap in how to incorporate AI without necessarily eliminating jobs. ONE new research reviewed a Fortune 500 company that incorporated innovative AI in its customer service and found that it increased productivity by 14% on average, with the greatest impact on new workers. and least skilled. Additionally, the authors claim: “AI-assisted improved customer sentiment, reduced manager intervention requirements, and improved employee retention.” Who is afraid of AI now?
Well, every worker should be, to some extent. Hollywood screenwriters are lucky they have an association and that association realizes there’s a problem, but AI offers so many potential benefits to both writers and studios that they’re trying to stay away from AI. They just need to figure out what’s in their best interests, which won’t be easy.
You probably agree with AMPTP that this is an important issue that deserves further study. Well, we don’t have the time that research commissions usually take. We really need railings and even legislation – such as privacy, disinformation, and intellectual property – but the AI god is out of the bottle.
Your job may not be union-free, and you and your colleagues may not have the time or expertise to really think about what AI can do with those jobs. Someone else will figure out the technology, we often tell ourselves, but someone might not care about the impact on you, the person doing the work. But here’s the bottom line: if you can’t figure out how AI can improve your work, chances are AI will take its place.
In particular, whether Patient is ready for it or whether clinicians have figured out the best way to use itmake no mistake: AI is coming to the healthcare industry,
As for the strikes, I’m more worried that once the AI figures out what we do with some people, in healthcare and in general, they’ll be the strikers.
