It has been 117 days since Hollywood actors decided to go on strike. Although the screenwriters reached an agreement with the major studios a few months ago, the actors strike seems a bit more complicated. They continue to picket the doors of the studios while the Negotiating Committee for the actors union (SAG-AFTRA) continues talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
These negotiations have yet to bear fruit, at least for now. As reported by the union on X (formerly Twitter), after days of negotiations, they have not yet managed to reach a consensus with the major studios on some "essential items." One of the most important, they said, is the use of artificial intelligence (AI):
Dear #SagAftraMembers:
This morning our negotiators formally responded to the AMPTP’s “Last, Best & Final” offer.
Please know every member of our TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee is determined to secure the right deal and thereby bring this strike to an end responsibly. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/1PwqaoNXAJ
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) November 6, 2023
AI: The biggest hurdle to ending the strike
As The Hollywood Reporter learned, SAG-AFTRA rejected a specific clause regarding artificial intelligence. It stated that the big studios would only have to pay a single fee to be able to scan, using artificial intelligence, the actors who belong to List F (actors who earn more than $32,000 per television episode and receive a salary greater than $60,000 per feature film). From that moment on, they could use those images as many times as they wanted without having to pay.
Along with this, another controversial point in the clause is that the industry giants designed a loophole through which they could use the scans of deceased actors as many times as they wanted without having to ask for consent from SAG-AFTRA or even their heirs.
This loophole would mean that practices such as the use of Robin Williams' voice, which his daughter recently condemned, would go unpunished. This clause was what prevented SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP from reaching the desired agreement, a union member told The Hollywood Reporter:
This is one of the biggest reasons SAG did not accept the ‘last, best and final’ offer from the AMPTP. We could not allow that language to stand,” says one union-side source. “This is massive. Every A-, B-, C-, D- and E-lister — all the higher-paid performers — who think this is a minimum wage strike, they must know they are in this fight. They have to realize that this is about protecting them. This is their strike now when they realize what’s on the line. The people who launched the campaign to take a deal — they’d be f—ked if we took this deal with that in there.
Despite not having reached an agreement, talks continue. As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, the actors union presented a counteroffer that is currently being evaluated by the major studios’ Negotiating Committee. They could call the actors back to the negotiating table later this week, Deadline reported.
