Is the SAG-AFTRA Tentative Agreement Supposed to Save Us From AI?
doing its part is enough
“This tentative agreement’s AI sections turn every role into a role that will kill your career forever because you either agree to let them use AI with you, or they won’t cast you, and if you do agree they’ll just use your digital replica instead of you, forever!”
No, they need your permission. With this contract in order to use artifical intelligence (AI) with you, they need your permission first and they need to pay you if they do. And that permission is for only that project.
The _tech_ turns every role into a possibly destructive free-for-all with AI. AI does that. The contract places some limits on AI doing that.
The contract (if ratified) forbids them to reuse your replica on other projects without both your permission first and paying you for that use.
You cannot blame a contract that limits tech and the tech’s damage for the damage the tech does. That would be backward.
AI, unfettered AI, is the one that can end our careers.
The tentative agreement works to not let that happen. The tentative agreement partly counters AI’s damaging uses.
Firefighters cannot reasonably blame the protective gear they wear for burning them if they get burnt wearing that protective gear. The protection may or may not be enough, but the fire is what burns you.
The tentative agreement all by itself may not protect us enough, any tentative agreement may not protect us enough, and that’s why laws, court judgements, regulations and more are also needed for full, meaningful AI safeguards.
If the tentative agreement gives us the contractual protections we need a contract to have, then ratifying it makes sense (on AI issues); if it does not give adequate contractual protections, then pushing further would make sense.
Ratifying this tentative agreement or not ratifying it won’t change our need for legislative, judicial and regulatory protections and safeguards too. We need all the things, and they each need to be good enough to work well with all the other things. Together we get more of what we need.
Using the firefighter analogy (an imperfect one, sorry about that), any contract is like a single part of the turnout gear worn by firefighters. Wear only that item of turnout gear all by itself: you get burned everywhere it was never meant to protect and was incapable of protecting. But with other pieces of protection, a good enough contract keeps us more protected.
Our vote on this tentative agreement is only on whether the tentative agreement is good enough to become our contract for the next 2.5 years.
© Copyright November 17, 2023, David August, all rights reserved davidaugust.com
David August is an award-winning actor, acting coach, writer, director, and producer. He plays a role in the movie Dependent’s Day, and after its theatrical run, it’s now out on Amazon (affiliate link). He has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC, on the TV show Ghost Town, and many others. His artwork has been used and featured by multiple writers, filmmakers, theatre practitioners, and others to express visually. Off-screen, he has worked at ad agencies, start-ups, production companies, and major studios, helping them tell stories their customers and clients adore. He has guest lectured at USC’s Marshall School of Business about the Internet.
