Hollywood writers are begging not to be “replaced with something artificial”.
Screenwriter Michelle Amor shared her fear about the impact of artificial intelligence on her profession as the SAG-AFTRA strike which has crippled Hollywood rolls on.
She told the BBC: “I don’t want to be replaced with something artificial.”
Michelle and her fellow US television and film writers have been on strike since May, with a key demand being limits on the future use of AI-powered writing tools like ChatGPT.
Their Writers Guild of America union is seeking assurances AI will only be used for research purposes and not to replace human writers.
Michelle – who has TV projects ‘The Honorable’ and ‘PG Count’ in the works – added:
“My mother’s union job as a packer for 35 years was replaced with robotics.”
Michelle’s fellow screenwriter Melissa Rundle acknowledges AI may be here to stay but hit out: "I was surprised at first, because Chat GPT appeared seemingly out of nowhere – but as soon as I became more familiar with its ever-increasing capabilities it became a concern.
“It’s likely here to stay, and we need to cope with the disruption. Writers are not trying to stop progress – we’re just trying to build in some basic protections against employers who have proven time and time again they won’t hesitate to exploit us if given the chance.
"At a minimum, we are fighting for regulated use of AI on projects, and a firm understanding that it cannot write - or re-write - any literary material. Nor can it be used as a source material either.
“I saw a great sign on the picket lines that read ‘AI doesn’t have childhood trauma’, and this is truly important.
“As writers we are creating stories that touch people and oftentimes digging deep into our soul – this is storytelling at its most sacred and should never be robbed by a machine.”
Comedian and screenwriter Elliott Kalan, who has written for ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’ – added to the BBC: “Rather than buying an original screenplay or television series, or even hiring a writer to adapt an existing work into a new medium, they’ll try to have a computer program spit out ideas for shows or movies – then pay a writer a small amount to rework it and make it presentable and interesting.
“If that happens, writers will lose a lot of the compensation they should be receiving for their ideas and their work, as well as losing the chance to really contribute something meaningful to audiences.
“Ideally, AI should remain an optional tool used for organising information - or for communicating ideas.”
