After the second month of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached a tentative agreement, which has not yet been approved by DGA members. The three-year contract would provide pay and benefit gains, increases to global streaming residuals, and protections against the use of artificial intelligence. The DGA contract expires on June 30th, and the guild will submit the proposal to its members on Tuesday. However, this does not mean that the WGA strike or the upcoming Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) negotiations will necessarily be resolved soon.
During the last writers strike in 2007 and 2008, a studio deal with the DGA prompted writers to head back to the bargaining table; however, the WGA committee has noted that the AMPTP will not be able to negotiate a deal for writers with anyone but them. The committee congratulated the DGA Negotiating Committee for their deal but did not comment on the deal points of the DGA’s new contract, stating that their bargaining positions remain the same. The WGA’s memo echoes WGA negotiator Chris Keyser’s comments on Friday, stating that any deal to put the town back to work runs straight through the WGA, and the strike has already been highly effective in inflicting pain on the companies.
Concerns over Artificial Intelligence
One of the significant concerns for both the writers and actors unions is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the entertainment industry. In the DGA’s agreement, directors secured wage increases starting at 5% the first year, an increase in residuals from streaming and a guarantee that artificial intelligence could not replace the duties performed by members. Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are seeking protections against AI use in their negotiations, in addition to increases in compensation for streamed content. The WGA is also seeking a minimum staff level for TV writers rooms and more competitive minimum payments for work.
While the WGA is less worried about being replaced by AI systems, it is concerned that production companies will exploit these technological tools to reduce writers’ salaries. SAG-AFTRA has acknowledged that AI technology can have its benefits in the industry, but it wants to ensure that any use of AI to replicate an actor or create a new performance is done with the actor’s consent and payment. The guild has similar guardrails when it comes to computer-generated image capture. Some performers, such as James Earl Jones, have already agreed to have their voices cloned for use after their deaths. Jones was compensated, and the technology was used to bring Vader’s iconic voice to Disney+’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
SAG-AFTRA’s vote for strike authorization wraps up on Monday at 8 p.m. ET, and compensation, health coverage, and residuals are top of mind for tens of thousands of working actors. However, the WGA committee has noted that the AMPTP will not be able to negotiate a deal for writers with anyone but them, and any deal to put the town back to work runs straight through the WGA.
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