The Actors' Strike Against AI

As a founding member of the Portuguese Creators Guild, I commend the U.S. Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) for supporting the writers' strike. Having recently joined the screenwriting community, I have gained insight into the potential ramifications of AI in this field.

Actors are likely to face significant challenges due to the increasing influence of AI. For instance, voice actors are being supplanted by AI technologies, while advancements in visual effects are favoring deepfakes and digital rejuvenation to resurrect beloved characters from the past.

Concerns regarding inadequate copyright protection for writers, job scarcity, decreasing pay, and the overall erosion of the creative industry’s contributions to the economy and cultural identity resonate with me.

A Personal Perspective on AI and the Movie Industry

Investigating the motivations behind the actors' strike has illuminated the genuine apprehensions surrounding AI’s growing role in the entertainment industry. The actors' union is right to voice their concerns and demand enhanced safeguards against AI technologies, as these issues directly affect their livelihoods.

Their calls for more stringent regulations on generative AI in entertainment are entirely justified. While AI and deepfake technology can convincingly replicate human voices, expressions, and performances, it raises questions about the extent to which individuals can lease their likeness for commercial gain.

How will the industry utilize these technologies, and what will be the consequences for those who relinquish their image rights? Will they one day witness their digital doppelgangers living out their lives in unsettling ways?

AI and Deepfake Technology

Reflecting on the potential impact of AI and deepfake technologies on actors’ job markets, I find myself increasingly worried about both their futures and ours.

I’ve seen AI-generated deepfakes of actors like Paul Walker in The Fast and the Furious and Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian. Recently, a Volkswagen ad in Brazil featured the legendary singer Elis Regina, resurrected through AI, creating a stir as she was depicted driving alongside her daughter, Maria Rita, who was only five when her mother passed away.

This endeavor required roughly 2,400 hours of work, utilizing two actors whose faces were altered to resemble Elis through facial recognition and deepfake technology. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of algorithms in scriptwriting while showing their ability to convincingly replicate human presence on screen.

The ethical ramifications of these developments are deeply troubling. We possess the technology, but how we choose to wield it is critical.

Black Mirror’s Ominous Predictions

Once again, fiction is becoming reality, sparking significant conversations. Social media is abuzz with comparisons between the rise of AI in filmmaking and the plot of the Black Mirror episode “Joan is Awful.”

In this compelling episode, actress Annie Murphy portrays Joan, an unremarkable tech company manager who becomes horrified upon discovering that her life is being streamed by a network called Streamberry. The narrative revolves around a digital superintelligence employing advanced deepfake technology.

It’s understandable that parallels have been drawn between the actors' union's demands and this storyline. Black Mirror has consistently explored the darker aspects of technology and its profound impacts on society.

For example, the series has tackled the concept of virtual companions long before it became mainstream. In the episode “Be Right Back,” Martha loses her boyfriend, who is then emulated by an avatar thanks to a "death bot." Another unsettling installment, “White Christmas,” delves into technology that allows for the copying of consciousness.

While we haven’t reached that level of technological sophistication, it does raise unsettling questions about replicating an individual’s identity and essence. In “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” a virtual pop star is created, drawing from the personality and talent of a real-life individual.

The Ultimate Question

In a landscape where AI can exploit and profit from artists' identities without consent while generating nearly human-like performances, the moral and ethical dilemmas are alarming. Now more than ever, the question of existence looms large: “to be or not to be,” wouldn’t you agree?