Hollywood studios offer new proposal for AI and data transparency to curb strike

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers released a memo of its offer to striking writers and actors, with proposed guidelines for AI usage and data transparency.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) released details of its proposal for striking actors and writers on Aug.22, which included standards for the entertainment industry surrounding the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) and data transparency. 

Under the proposed conditions, generative AI cannot be considered a writer. Therefore, any AI-created material cannot be regarded as literary or intellectually protected.

The proposal also ensures that material produced by generative AI cannot affect credit, rights and compensation. While companies can use generative AI-created scripts as source material, any writer who reworks the script will be compensated as if they are the original author.

Additionally, any studio or production company seeking a writer’s help in the development of an AI-produced script must disclose the origin of the script.

Initially, the proposal was released eleven days ago, on Aug. 11, but without significant information about important issues raised by the striking parties.

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Along with updates to AI-related matters, the proposal touches on data transparency issues. Before the proposal, writers rarely had access to metrics produced by their work.

The updated offer would allow viewership data to be made available to writers and presented in quarterly confidential reports. However, for the time being, it would only include subscription video on demand (SVOD) metrics — not advertising or transactional videos.

The AMPTP proposal suggested that:

“This increased transparency will enable the WGA to develop proposals to restructure the current SVOD residual regime in the future.”

The latest developments came on the 114th day of the strike and were the latest iterations of AI incorporation from Hollywood studios. 

On May 3, they rejected requests from the Writers Guild of America to ban AI completely from the writing room.

There were also proposals that suggested background performers should undergo scanning, receive compensation for the initial day of work and then grant companies ownership of the scan, image and likeness. This sparked a wave of backlash from entertainers in the industry.

Nonetheless, the signals of big production companies looking to incorporate AI are apparent. On July 27, Netflix posted AI job positions with exuberant salaries reaching up to $900,000.

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