'ChatGPT Doesn't Have Childhood Trauma': Why are Hollywood Writers on Strike? The AI Fear Explained

The Hollywood writers’ strike broke out this week over pay, but the refusal of studios like Netflix and Disney to rule out artificial intelligence replacing human scribes in the future has only fueled anger and fear on the picket lines, as per reports.

The slogans used on the pickets have also gained attention, with users calling them witty. “ChatGPT does not have childhood trauma; Pay us or we will spoil succession,” are some of the zingers seen during the protest.

With their rapidly advancing ability to eerily mimic human conversation, AI programs like ChatGPT have spooked many industries recently. The White House this week summoned Big Tech to discuss the potential risks.

As part of the weeks-long talks with studios and streamers that collapsed Monday, the Writers Guild of America asked for binding agreements to regulate the use of AI.

Under the proposals, nothing written by AI can be considered “literary” or “source” material — industry terms that decide who gets royalties — and scripts written by WGA members cannot “be used to train AI.”

But according to the WGA, studios “rejected our proposal,” and countered with an offer merely to meet once a year to “discuss advancements in technology.”

“It’s nice for them to offer to have a meeting about how they’re exploiting it against us!” joked WGA negotiating committee member Eric Heisserer, who wrote Netflix hit film “Bird Box.”

“Art cannot be created by a machine. You lose the heart and soul of the story… I mean, the first word is ‘artificial,'” he told AFP on the picket line outside the streaming giant’s Hollywood HQ Friday.

While writers already know this, the danger is that “we have to watch tech companies destroy the business in an attempt to find out for themselves,” he said, as per an AFP report.

Hard to be a Writer

As per a report by GQ, people who work in television and film are not paid very well, despite the precarious nature of their jobs. The report further explains that it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a living as a writer in entertainment industries abroad, even for those who are employed.

That’s mostly because writers, like actresses, directors, and everyone else, are paid significantly less in residuals than some A-list stars, the report says. When a piece of media is repackaged, resold, or re-aired, residuals are given to the persons who worked on it. That’s why syndication used to be important: getting one’s programme on TBS or Comedy Central meant sharing in the earnings and success of the show, as well as receiving guaranteed, repeat checks for years. The framework in place that ensured creatives this amount of profit sharing from their work took decades to develop.

However, that level of financial security has mostly vanished. Streaming services pay single, fixed residuals that are not tied to audience counts, and there is no additional payout when shows move between streaming platforms. 97.85% of writers who voted in the WGA authorization ballot voted to strike, in part to ensure that working on a streaming service pays off in a way that is more in line with traditional TV, and more in line with what past generations of writers, directors, and actors struggled for years to achieve.

Why the AI Comes Bearing Bad News Now

Writers fear that belt-tightening executives in Hollywood, where Silicon Valley companies have upended many traditional practices such as long-term contracts for writers, may seek to cut costs further by getting computers to write their next hit shows.

Comments by top Hollywood executives at this week’s Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills will have done nothing to quell writers’ concerns.

“In the next three years, you’re going to see a movie that was written by AI made… a good one,” said movie producer Todd Lieberman.

“Not just scripts. Editing, all of it… storyboarding a movie, anything,” added Fox entertainment CEO Rob Wade.

“AI in the future, maybe not next year or the year after, but if we’re talking 10 years? AI is going to be able to do absolutely all of these things.” The studios’ own account of the breakdown in WGA talks offered a more nuanced take.

In a briefing note shared with AFP, they said writers do not in fact want to outlaw AI, and appear happy to use it “as part of their creative process” — so long as it does not affect their pay.

That scenario “requires a lot more discussion, which we’ve committed to doing,” the studios said.

Antithesis of Originality?

Even for sci-fi writer Ben Ripley, who believes there is no role whatsoever for AI in writing, introducing legislation now “to put guardrails up” is “very necessary.”

Writers “have to be original,” he said. “Artificial intelligence is the antithesis of originality.”

On its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers responded in a four-page paper to the guild’s accusation that studios are attempting to force writers into a “gig economy.” According to the AMPTP, writers receive fringe perks and fixed employment terms that have “nearly nothing in common” with regular freelance contracts, according to a report by Variety.

The AMPTP also argued that a “hiring quota” for TV writers would be “incompatible with the creative nature of our industry.” The guild is proposing a staffing rule that would necessitate a writers room of at least six to twelve writers for most series. “We don’t agree with applying a one-size-fits-all solution to shows that are unique and different in their approach to creative staffing,” the AMPTP stated. “Some writers are the sole voice of a show and others work with only a small team. The WGA’s proposals would preclude that.”

The AMPTP has previously stated that the television personnel requirement is a “primary sticking point” in the negotiations. The WGA has stated that its staffing plan is simply an initial offer, but the studios have refused to engage in any way on the matter. “For example, writers want to be able to use this technology as part of their creative process, without changing how credits are determined, which is complicated given AI material can’t be copyrighted,” the AMPTP stated. “So it’s something that requires a lot more discussion, which we’ve committed to doing.”

According to the AMPTP, the existing WGA contract already includes a definition of “writer” that precludes a “impersonal purveyor” of literary content, “meaning that only a ‘person’ can be considered a writer and enjoy the terms and conditions of the Basic Agreement.” The AMPTP further claimed that AI could not claim a writing credit under the current contract.

AFP contributed to this report

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