Hollywood Studios Face Backlash Over AI Contract Demands
Via Rolling Stone
The Story
Hollywood performers won new protections against artificial intelligence in their November 2023 union contract, yet many actors and stunt performers say studios still pressure them into consenting to digital replicas as a condition of getting hired.
Actor Nandini Bapat describes being threatened with removal from a Warner Bros. production unless she agreed to let the studio scan her likeness, while stunt performer Marie Fink says she was not rehired for The Sex Lives of College Girls after refusing a replica consent form.
The contract requires studios to give reasonably specific descriptions of how a digital replica will be used, to obtain informed consent, and to pay fair compensation.
Union leaders including national executive director Duncan Crabtree Ireland argue the negotiated approach balances inevitable technology with worker protections, and the union says it addresses violations when they surface even though no formal grievances have been filed.
Advisors such as Justine Bateman warn that replicas amount to replacement of human labor, and board member Shaan Sharma is drafting stricter contract riders.
The reporting reveals a persistent gap between the written safeguards and the pressure performers still face on set.
Actor Nandini Bapat describes being threatened with removal from a Warner Bros. production unless she agreed to let the studio scan her likeness, while stunt performer Marie Fink says she was not rehired for The Sex Lives of College Girls after refusing a replica consent form.
The contract requires studios to give reasonably specific descriptions of how a digital replica will be used, to obtain informed consent, and to pay fair compensation.
Union leaders including national executive director Duncan Crabtree Ireland argue the negotiated approach balances inevitable technology with worker protections, and the union says it addresses violations when they surface even though no formal grievances have been filed.
Advisors such as Justine Bateman warn that replicas amount to replacement of human labor, and board member Shaan Sharma is drafting stricter contract riders.
The reporting reveals a persistent gap between the written safeguards and the pressure performers still face on set.
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