AI Threatens Jobs: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt Calls for Residual Payments in Scathing Op-Ed
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has penned a scathing op-ed in the Washington Post, demanding that actors, writers, and other professionals whose jobs are at risk due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) be compensated with residuals. This issue has become a central point of contention in the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), as artists receive meager compensation from streaming platforms despite their work continuing to generate revenue for tech companies.
Gordon-Levitt argues that the current pay gap in the entertainment industry is shocking and unsustainable. Streaming platforms are profiting from shows and movies, some of which are decades old, yet the artists involved receive minimal payments. Residual checks are crucial for actors and writers, who rely on them for their livelihoods. These professionals create content that generates billions of dollars for studios each year, making the pay gap even more glaring.
However, the rise of AI has now brought questions of ownership and copyright law to the forefront. Gordon-Levitt notes that Generative AI relies on human input and cannot independently generate anything substantial. It is essentially a tool that combines and recombines training data. Therefore, the actor argues that the individuals who provide the training data – the human labor behind AI – deserve residual payments.
The concern goes beyond the entertainment industry. While studios and tech companies are eager to replace human employees with AI, other sectors, such as healthcare and engineering, could also face similar challenges in the future. Gordon-Levitt stresses that whenever AI generates revenue from data it was trained on, those responsible for creating that data should receive a fair share. This requires updated copyright laws, stronger government intervention to prevent tech overreach, and corporations prioritizing workers over profits.
Implementing such changes would not only address the immediate issue of the entertainment industry pay gap but also establish a precedent for other industries grappling with AI-driven displacements. By ensuring AI pays for the work it borrows, jobs can be protected and economic relief can be provided to those whose livelihoods are threatened.
It is crucial to advocate for the rights of professionals affected by AI’s ubiquity. Gordon-Levitt’s op-ed sheds light on the human element behind AI and calls for a fair distribution of profits. As AI’s capabilities continue to evolve, it becomes imperative to establish a system that provides compensation for the individuals behind the training data. These measures would ensure a more equitable future, safeguarding jobs and acknowledging the invaluable role played by human creators and workers in our increasingly AI-driven society.
