LOS ANGELES — As Hollywood writers continue contract negotiations with major studios, one topic remains front and center: the role of AI.

On Friday, the Writers Guild of America released a list of contract demands which 97% of the union membership supports. Though some details have yet to be revealed, many of the labor group’s asks are centered around health coverage, residuals and expanding protections against the use and abuse of AI.

In 2023, both SAG-AFTRA and WGA went on strike, aiming to achieve a fair contract that covers streaming residuals and the looming integration of AI. But as productions continue to move overseas and shoot days decrease in L.A., less work is available for writers, actors and directors alike as the major studios make fewer movies and TV shows than in years past. So, for union members across the entertainment industry, these negotiations are crucial.

WGA’s current contract, which expires May 1, established that AI isn’t a writer and nothing it produces is considered literary material. It prohibits companies from giving writers AI-generated scripts for a rewrite fee, requiring writers to use AI software and a company must disclose if any written materials were developed using AI.

The union’s current demand is to simply “expand” these protections. Other demands include increasing contributions to its benefit plans and minimum compensation rates, while also hoping to raise minimums for “page one” rewrites and boost streaming residuals.

Concurrently, SAG-AFTRA is in talks with the studios, fighting for similar issues in a new contract for actors. Last week, both parties disclosed that they are extending their negotiations for another seven days. The discussions began on Feb. 9.

The union is expected to propose what has been called the Tilly tax, a fee that studios would have to pay to the union in exchange for using an AI actor. This demand is in response to the first AI actor, Tilly Norwood, being introduced to Hollywood. Though the bot has yet to star in a major project, the fear of AI-generated characters taking an actor’s job is real among many union members. The bot’s creator, Xicoia, also recently announced the expansion of its AI actor universe, called the “Tillyverse.”

WGA’s negotiations are set to start on March 16. The union’s negotiations will be led by chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman. The studios will be headed by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ new president, Gregory Hessinger. If AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA are not able to agree by then, both parties plan to reconvene for an additional bargaining period ahead of an expiration date for their current contracts.

The negotiation sessions are happening at the same time WGA West’s own staff union has been on strike. The union recently had to call off its L.A.-based award show due to the conflict. The staff union, made up of more than 100 employees who work in areas including legal, communications and residuals, are similarly demanding higher pay and protections against AI.

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