How AI factors into Hollywood writers strike

The Take examines why US writers in Hollywood want AI to be regulated.

Writers Guild of America members and supporters chant slogans during a picket outside Sunset Bronson Studios and Netflix Studios, after union negotiators called a strike for film and television writers, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 3, 2023
Writers Guild of America members and their supporters chant slogans during a picket outside Sunset Bronson Studios and Netflix Studios in Los Angeles on May 3, 2023, after the union called a strike for film and television writers [Mario Anzuoni/Reuters]

TV and film writers in the US – 11,500 of them – have walked off their jobs for the first time in 15 years. On May 2, their negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down. One of the bargaining points: the role of AI in writing scripts. The Writers Guild wants to put regulations on artificial intelligence into their members’ contract, and they say the studios have turned them down – leading to the question of how studios envision future writers rooms. The Take explores the balance of power between writers and studios.

In this episode: 

  • John August (@johnaugust), screenwriter and member of the Writers Guild of America negotiating committee

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Sonia Bhagat and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Special thanks to the Scriptnotes podcast and Drew Marquardt.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Source: Al Jazeera