The Spire

Will Donahue ‘24

Chief Copy Editor

As of me writing this article, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike for 131 days – beginning on May 2, 2023, one day after their contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) expired. And despite resumed negotiations on Aug. 11 (WGA website), both parties remain at a standstill. I want to emphasize that the issues on the table here go deeper than a labor dispute on the other side of the country. In fact, anyone who aspires to write movies and TV shows, anyone who enjoys watching movies and TV shows, and anyone who provides labor in any capacity should absolutely care about the outcome of the WGA strike.

In the days since the strike began, I have seen “learn to code” and similar phrases plastered across social media – phrases meant to disregard the strike and devalue those naive enough to pursue such a “useless” profession. I hope it goes without saying that this sentiment is woefully misguided. If you have ever enjoyed a night at the movie theater, or stayed up late binging a TV show, or felt represented by a character on screen, you can attest to the value of screenwriting. You understand that the labor of screenwriters has shaped our culture for over a century. And just like in any profession, that labor deserves protection and compensation.

Unfortunately, the studios under the banner of the AMPTP believe otherwise. In addition to rejected proposals regarding minimum payments, streaming residuals, and writers’ room sizes, the AMPTP rejected the WGA proposal for regulated use of artificial intelligence – specifically, that “AI can’t write or rewrite literary material; can’t be used as source material; and MBA-covered material can’t be used to train AI” (WGA website). According to SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the AMPTP rejected a similar proposal in their negotiations, allegedly offering instead to scan background actors, pay them for one day of work, and use AI to replicate their likeness “for the rest of eternity” (Variety). SAG-AFTRA went on strike alongside the WGA on July 14, 2023.

Having observed the rise in AI-generated art over the past year, I am not concerned about being replaced any time soon. I have yet to see ChatGPT produce a piece of writing that successfully replicates the perspective of a human with a lifetime of experience. But when that day comes – and at the rate AI is advancing, it will come – we will need proper regulations in place. And if nothing I’ve written so far has convinced you to care about the WGA strike, let it be this: AI can do more than write a script. The corporations that form the AMPTP are among the most powerful in the world, and they have already shown their eagerness to replace human labor should the option arise.
Lastly, I know strikes are not fun for anyone involved. This past summer, I was supposed to complete an internship at a production company – an opportunity which I lost due to the industry shutdown. That’s to say nothing of the countless writers, actors, and other crew members who have been living without jobs for months. Even the AMPTP studios (such as Warner Bros. Discovery) are facing hundreds of millions in earnings losses (Variety). No one wanted the strikes to happen. But until a small handful of studio heads understand the cost of their greed, the strikes will continue. And I urge you to show solidarity with the Guilds in any way you can.