At first glance, they are fighting over the money. To agree on a new contract, the film studios offer financing several times lower than that required by the WGA. Screenwriters complain of having to work more and more, and their incomes, due to the growing influence of streaming services, mainly Netflix, have started to decline. Shorter seasons are all the rage for popular shows, and copyrights are often bought out ahead of time, depriving screenwriters of additional revenue.
But besides the money, the dispute does have important ins and outs – it is the fear of screenwriters in the film industry in full conquest (and not only) of artificial intelligence (AI), which threatens to further reduce their income or even deprive them of their jobs. Against the backdrop of the furore that ChatGPT’s literary capabilities have caused, Variety magazine recently pondered the prospects for using neural networks in scripting. AI is able to produce them in such volumes and at such speed that humans cannot. And, most importantly, it’s cheaper to do it than a human screenwriter.
The quality is still questionable, but the growing ability of neural networks to write at the human level is evident. Therefore, the WGA insists on limiting the use of machine-created scripts.
Meanwhile, AI has the potential to replace not just film industry workers whose work is text-related, but even actors. Recently, NBC News reported on a company offering AI-powered “face changing” services. First, a special program studies the video with different angles and facial expressions of the subject, then can literally overlay their appearance on the fly on any other actor in the frame, while copying the characteristics of movement and expressions faces of the original. In this way, even dead film legends come to life. Appearance replacement technologies existed before, but they require complex equipment and a lot of time. As company spokesman Keith Pizzi joked, cast and presenters “may soon be off work.” But the actors, perhaps, are not laughing. By the way, at the end of June, the Actors Guild’s contract with Hollywood directors also expires. Will there be another strike?
On the one hand, the screenwriters may resemble the English Luddites who resisted the introduction of machinery into factories in the 19th century. On the other hand, many influential figures oppose the uncontrolled introduction of AI, including its developers and, for example, billionaire Elon Musk.
And how are we
And reporters are not needed?
We also have the AI ​​that “revives” the actors. In 2022, a new season of the legendary series “Saboteur” was released, where actor Vladislav Galkin, who died in 2010, suddenly “starred”.
But in this case, at least there was a “prototype”. Now you can create a “man” from scratch. In the Stavropol Territory, a local television channel broadcast a weather forecast created entirely by neural networks. That is, not only text and graphics, but also the main thing – the work of the “hands” of the mathematical model. The neuro-girl was given the name Snezhana Tumanov, and the program writes a speech to her based on the forecast of the local meteorological center.
Snezhana Tumanova on air. Photo: stv24.tv
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