A search for Wes Anderson on YouTube turns up trailers that the famed director with a distinctive style seems to have made for adaptations of ‘Star Wars‘, ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ with Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and other stars. Artificial intelligence allowed people without real actors and resources much smaller than the major Hollywood studios to generate fake movie trailers, fueling the debate on the issue that will be on the bargaining table when the SAG-AFTRA actors union begins talks. work with the studies on June 7. AI already has studios divided and film and television writers on strike, who want guarantees that emerging technology will not be used to generate scripts.

SAG-AFTRA wants to make sure its members can control the use of their “digital doubles” and ensure studios pay live actors properly, said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator. “The artist’s name, appearance, voice and personality are the artist’s actions and trade,” Crabtree-Ireland said. “It’s really not fair for companies to try to take advantage of that and not fairly compensate artists when they use their personality in that way.”

Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves have already been the subject of widely viewed unauthorized deepfakes: realistic but fabricated videos created by AI algorithms. Reeves called the technology “scary”, in part because it can be implemented without input from the actors. Interest in generative AI exploded globally after the November launch of ChatGPT, the fastest growing application of all time, by Microsoft-backed OpenAI. American and European regulators have required security measures to prevent misinformation, bias, copyright infringement, and invasion of privacy.

The actors and writers envision various scenarios in which studios could try to cut costs and increase revenue by using generative AI, which can feed into existing material and generate new content. Technology is already being used to erase age marks or alter mouth movements to sync with words when programming is dubbed into multiple languages. Actor Leland Morrill said that he has worked on sets where he was surrounded by cameras taking pictures from all angles.

“With that kind of content, they could use you for one part and then create the rest of the character, and then we’re not on set anymore and no one gets paid,” Morrill said at a multi-union rally in Los Angeles. Angels. Producer, writer and former ‘Family Ties’ actress Justine Bateman has a degree in computer science and has been sounding the alarm about AI. She said companies could allow fans to make their own ‘Star Wars’ movie and add on for an additional fee. Or, a studio could take footage from a popular 1980s TV show like “Family Ties” and make a new season with AI.

YOUNGER

Some actors have approved specific uses of AI. The upcoming ‘Indiana Jones’ movie features scenes in which 80-year-old star Harrison Ford appears 40 years younger. He said Walt Disney Co’s Lucasfilm used images of his face that were shot during the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies in the 1980s. “It’s fantastic,” Ford enthused about his youthful on-screen appearance in an interview with the host. nocturnal Stephen Colbert.

James Earl Jones, now 92, agreed to let AI replicate the menacing voice he gave Darth Vader, according to Vanity Fair, so the character could live on. AI helped Disney cast the late Carrie Fisher in the 2019 film ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ with the blessing of her daughter.

SAG-AFTRA’s Crabtree-Ireland said actors have different levels of comfort with how AI is used, which is why the union will advocate for informed consent in talks with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP). ), the group that represents Disney, Netflix and other studios.

An AMPTP representative did not comment on their position on the use of AI with actors. In negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the AMPTP proposed to discuss the issue once a year, which the Union considered an attempt to avoid the issue. The WGA has been on strike for AI and compensation since May 2.

If SAG-AFTRA can’t reach an agreement on AI and other issues, the actors could also go on strike, increasing pressure on the studios. Ahead of the negotiations, SAG-AFTRA leaders have asked members to provide authorization to call a strike if necessary. Voting on a strike authorization ends Monday. Both unions want safeguards before AI is widely used.

Bateman, a former SAG board member, scoffs at AI as an “automatic knockoff” that could lead to a future filled with entertainment from the past. “I don’t want to live in that world,” Bateman said. “What’s the next genre in movies? What’s the next genre in music? You’ll never see anything like this if we all use AI.”
© Thomson Reuters 2023