Throughout May 2024, The Animation Guild along with their sister unions, IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), SAG-AFTRA (Street Actors Guild, and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), and WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) have been fighting an uphill battle against the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers) for better worker conditions, benefits, and wages.
The latest challenge will be tackling the response to the Master Collective Bargaining Agreement for the animation industry. Once it expires on August 16th, animation studio executives will use generative AI to save production budget. Here’s what you should know about entertainment industry union efforts on developing protection against artificial intelligence use.
The Development of IATSE on AI Copyright Protection
On May 21, 2024, IATSE‘s Vice President Vanessa Holtgrewe discussed AI policies in the U.S. Senate with bipartisan U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his colleagues Martin Heinrich, Mike Rounds, and Todd Young.
Holtgrewe and the senators formed the AI Insight Forum on Nov. 29, 2023. Their mission is to search for the possible threats artificial intelligence will have on the entertainment industry and other jobs requiring human cooperation and labor.
On April 10th, Representative Adam Schiff introduced the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, a bill that requires an AI developer to submit their AI system, to the Copyright Office. This ensures any property generated by artificial intelligence can be protected as long as it credits the source material it adapted from and is proven to be trained through gathering data.
IATSE and the AI Insight Forum continue to improve on the terms and limitations of generative AI as the concern for artists, including animators, rises on copyright infringement on the possibility of AI replacing them.
The Animation Guild Fights AI
On May 27, 2024, IATSE Local 839, The Animation Guild posted an animation on the Animation Workers Ignited’s Twitter. As the video states, SAG-AFTRA and WGA have ceased their union strikes after getting the work contracts they wanted for their workers.
Last year, the WGA negotiated with the AMPTP to obtain their rightful wages and employee benefits on Oct. 9th into their revamped work contracts by a member vote of 99%. SAG-AFTRA soon followed the writer union on Dec. 5th, 2023, winning 78.33% of the AMPTP for the new multi-year contracts.
However, The Animation Guild is threatened to be endangered by their Master’s Agreement expiration date on August 16th. For the past 2 weeks in May, there has not been any effort from the AMPTP to negotiate on new contracts. The last update about The Animation Guild was on May 13th, with an interview for Key Frame Magazine.
In response, Animation Workers Ignited and Jellybox Studios created this video starring the voices of Adam Conover, Spencer Rothbell, Alex Hirsch, and the animation’s director, Laura Serrano Mirrales. Since the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, animators have grown cautious about being replaced by AI.
Animation Workers Ignited states that greedy studios want to use generative AI to prevent paying for animators. During this time, The Animation Guild is fighting to improve animator wages, secure benefits like healthcare, and better office environment. They argued that the AMPTP is waiting for August 16th for the Master’s Agreement to expire to use AI to animate shows without delay and save production money.
For Animation and Beyond
Even though SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have received their respectable contracts for actors, theater workers, and writers, their union members still participate in the battle for fair employee treatment with The Animation Guild and IATSE
In the past week, SAG-AFTRA faced a new challenge with an AI company that impersonated actress Scarlett Johansson’s voice using Chat GPT. And now joining her is singer-songwriter FKA Twigs. For the past year, voice actors and music artists have been trying to prevent AI developers from using their voices in projects without permission.
Two voice actresses, Erica Lindbeck and Grey DeLisle dealt with AI developers using their voices. Lindbeck repeatedly asked fir the fan-made Futaba video of her singing Bo Burhnam’s Welcome to the Internet to be deleted.
After the video was taken down, others bullied her and attempted to reupload it. Lindbeck later left Twitter in June of last year. Then Grey DeLisle called out YouTuber Eagan Tilghman on using the AI voices of Fred, Velma, and Daphne for their Scooby-Doo FNAF crossover animation. She said, “I will never EVER work with this person,” in a post on Twitter.
Instead of arguing with DeLisle, Tilghman decided to be better to save money and hire actual voice actors. The animation in the video is beautiful but was heavily criticized after mentioning AI in the credits. There is now a video of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? in Springtrapped redubbed with natural voices.
Anyone could change for the better if they learn from their mistake or become disrespectful to the hardworking entertainment talent. For now, creators will wait to see how AI safeguards will be set to prevent future conflict.
For more information: If you want to learn how Congress is currently developing regulations on AI, check out Wall Street Journal’s video on AI Copyright with Vivek Jayaram. And to learn more about The Animation Guild, visit animationguild.org.
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