Effects of writers strike on Sci Fi & Fantasy genre

[SteveC]

There is a really interesting discussion going on here about AI in writing. I am incredibly sympathetic to the writer's positions, because I am one in another industry. But for my job, I'm in tech, and I have to say that ... AI is going to be here, and people will eventually have to figure out how it integrates with the creative process.

I say it's "going to be here" because it's not here yet, and it really is years away from being what people expect it's going to be. Much like self driving cars, really: they're going to happen, but the technology is much more complicated than most people believe it is. If you're driving long-haul trucks, your job isn't going away anytime soon, but it will eventually. And that's such a strange thing because driving a truck and writing a screenplay would seem to have nothing in common, but when both of them can be done by a machine, they have a similarity.

So the WGA can say "no AI, period," but that's ultimately going to be a losing argument, just like it has been every other time a new technology comes along. I am reminded of the film "Other People's Money" which has the great speech given by Larry "the Liquidator": "at one time there must've been dozens of companies making buggy whips. And I'll bet the last company around was the one that made the best buggy whip you ever saw."

Unfortunately, that's the future. It's still quite a ways off, but it's going to happen. I don't know what the future of screenwriting is, and I hope it stays human controlled, but AI is going to be a part of it sooner or later. And that makes me sad because at heart, I'm a creative person. I'm just working in an industry where chatbots take an ever-increasing percentage of issues that used to be handled by entry level staff.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I say it's "going to be here" because it's not here yet, and it really is years away from being what people expect it's going to be.

I heard Wozniak on the radio this morning, saying AI was "intelligent" and all I could think is that he should be listening more and talking less. AI is only marginally more "intelligent" than autocorrect on my phone. The fact that it can sound spookily human is more about us anthropomorphizing it than what's going on inside the software.

At this point, everything AI says, for the most part, is it purely making stuff up based on existing data sets and not it actually going out, as an agent, and assembling the data from scratch. When that happens, it'll suddenly get very useful. But that's not what's happening right now, for the most part.

I look forward to the day where I can ask an AI agent to go look up a bunch of data sets and assemble it into legible text or, better yet, bullet points or even a spreadsheet and associated line graph, but that's likely years away still.

I am reminded of the film "Other People's Money" which has the great speech given by Larry "the Liquidator": "at one time there must've been dozens of companies making buggy whips. And I'll bet the last company around was the one that made the best buggy whip you ever saw."

The last flip phones before the iPhone debuted and blew up the market were fantastic. It didn't save them, though.

 

[MGibster]

If I where an Evil Streaming Corporation(tm) there are a few things I would do apart from endless reality TV:

1) More international stuff. For example, did you you know that the Italian show "Red Door" is basically Randel and Hopkirk [Deceased] without the jokes?

2) Remake stuff from the 50-80s. For example, the animated Star Trek series could be redone with CGI, keeping the original voice recordings, cleaned up a bit. Live action shows could be remade scene for scene, with modern production values.


What? I'm a DM, I'm used to thinking like a villain!

During a writer's strike in the 1980s, they made a new Mission Impossible series by recycling the old scripts from the original.

 

[Dioltach]

During a writer's strike in the 1980s, they made a new Mission Impossible series by recycling the old scripts from the original.

In Belgium in the 1980s, the guy who did the weather reports was sick once, so they showed an old one that was close enough.

 

[Umbran]

It fails to address issues like:

Are AI scripts even legal? It needs to be tested in court and legislation needs to catch up.

For clarity, I'm trying to keep this grounded with the current writer's strike.

With respect, you and the WGA probably have much different goals and concerns. You seem to care about high concepts. The WGA cares first about jobs and wages. Jobs and wages can be worked out in contract, regardless of the overall legality. It can be plenty legal, but still forbidden by contract.

What is the AI actually capable of doing?

That's a fine question for computer scientists. The WGA cares not a whit about it.

Until those questions are answered, it's not possible to create rules for fair use.

We can make rules any time we like, thank you very much. Those rules would be imperfect, but then all of our rules are imperfect, so that's not really an issue. But also, we are talking about contract negotiations - contracts don't have to address all future time, and all possible uses of AI in writing. Contracts need to handle the business between the parties involved, for some definite term.

Maybe some short term guidelines, but that is not what either side is demanding.

With respect, the studios cannot provide new copyright law. If the WGA is demanding that, they are barking up the wrong tree. The WGA, to my understanding, wants a new union contract, which is of limited scope and time period. So, no, we don't need to solve all questions before that gets addressed.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In Belgium in the 1980s, the guy who did the weather reports was sick once, so they showed an old one that was close enough.

"Gray. Rainy."

"Nailed it!"

 

[Zardnaar]

In Belgium in the 1980s, the guy who did the weather reports was sick once, so they showed an old one that was close enough.

You had weather reports in the 80's. Damn ur country rich.


We just stuck head out the window.

 

[overgeeked]

Good. Never cross a picket line.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Also, never cross the Teamsters.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

LOL buddy you're revealing that you haven't read the position of either side here.

The WGA doesn't want "rules for fair use" of AI, nor should it. It wants rules for no use of AI. The AMPTP doesn't want rules at at all regarding AI and has refused to negotiate on this point, so also doesn't want "rules for fair use".

So... what are you even saying?

The WGA position is reasonable. "Just say no". The AMPTP should agree and renegotiate when AI technology is mature enough not to just be a way to make writers' lives harder and and excuse for them to be paid less.

It wasn't me who raised the idea of "rules". I agree with you, there is no point in the AMPTP opposing a ban at this time, since currently AI cannot do the writers' job, and when it can they can simply pull a Vader and alter the deal. Which means it's also pointless for the writers to insist on it.

And, of course AI cuts both ways. It could potentially replace the studio execs just as easily as it could replace the writers, if not more so.