On Wednesday afternoon, striking writers were joined by an unexpected ally on their picket line: U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman whose 17th district is in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. Using a bullhorn, Khanna rallied the crowd, affirming that many in Congress would stand with them as they fight for fair compensation.
In his conversation with Deadline, Khanna expressed his understanding of the difficulties posed by technology in the entertainment industry. Streamed entertainment is here to stay, and models of compense have changed—leaving writers behind. He also discussed the implications of AI, emphasizing that human imagination and capacity for understanding historical context are still necessary for great works of art.
Khanna noted that AI is unlikely to produce the likes of Hamlet and Yeats. Still, the development of such technology does raise concerns about the potential coarsening of art as a result. Writers, he stated, are vital to the production of high-quality, meaningful entertainment.
The comments were made not long before the audience at Amazon’s event, Applauds, broke into applause while Wildcat played. This documentary addresses mental illness head on, and is one of many contenders for the 2020 Awards season.
Netflix, the scene of the strike, is one of many streaming companies whose success has made them larger players in the television and movie industry. On Thursday, demonstrations continued at Broadway Stages in Brooklyn and Silvercup Studios in Queens.
With the appearance of Rep. Ro Khanna, the strikers were joined by the support of a powerful voice who spoke out in defense of their right to fair compensation. Such is a reflection of how the entertainment industry is changing, and how tech must be managed in order to ensure that this isn’t done at the expense of the people who create entertainment.
