strike stories

Right now the entertainment industry is in turmoil due to strikes by writers and actors (directors did negotiate a new contract). While there are myriad issues, generative AI hangs over the industry with fears of serious job loss by creatives. So what better time to bring out an AI application that creates a show from scratch? The company (Fable) denies that it is tone-deaf, but rather this is the perfect time to announce the app so writers and actors have a better stance for negotiating. They go on to argue that their end goal is generalizable AI (ie human intelligence) rather than just generative AI capabilities.

No matter how you spin this, it highlights how quickly things are changing, and how both sides in contract negotiations are somewhat flying blind. Studios (like most businesses) are looking for profits, and automation/efficiency is a way to get there. Creatives have been feeling the pinch of a changing production world (eg Netflix and other tech companies becoming content creators), and AI represents a threat to white collar jobs in a way that previous emerging tech did not.

Odds are the entertainment industry is a canary in the coal mine with regards to AI job loss/job shifts/job creation. The contract negotiations coming at a time when generative AI has recently exploded into the public consciousness, both sides are being forced to try and predict a future that is fuzzy at best.