Hollywood’s Next Battle: Paying Actors for AI Digital Doubles

Hollywood is gearing up for another union battle, but this time the big issue is how actors will get paid for work done by their digital doubles created using artificial intelligence. Actors want to ensure they are paid appropriately for work by their digital doubles and are able to give informed consent about how those doubles will be used. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief negotiator at the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union, told the Financial Times that The performer’s name, likeness, voice, persona — those are the performer’s stock and trade. The union representatives and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will meet on Wednesday to begin negotiations. The actors are seeking union-scale payments for work using digital doubles. While some actors are embracing the potential paydays that the technology could bring, others are concerned about their stock and trade being taken advantage of by companies. The use of AI in Hollywood is already affecting actors, and the potential implications of deepfakes and de-aging technology make this a vital issue for the industry.