Why Hollywood writers fear AI?

Even as the ‘Writers Guild of America’ (Hollywood writers) is striking for better pay, it’s AI anxiety that underpins the movement.

The writers are concerned about how Generative AI (like ChatGPT) could impact their future. They fear AI could be used to create the first draft of a script, which would later be refined by writers.  Today, a prompt like “A crime story based in Bangalore in Arthur Conan Doyle’s style” can spit out a first draft.

The legal landscape around AI is in flux too. Recently, the US Copyrights Office clarified that only human work can be copyrighted. However, this doesn’t spell out how a script refined from an AI-generated first draft would be seen.

While AI-generated writing is still in its nascent stage, it could be used to undercut writers’ pay. Also, AI’s ability to mimic a writer’s style could be used to simulate new work without compensating the writer.

These are serious issues that require debate and discussion. For, AI is bound to disrupt many more professions in the near future.

Update:

It’s been 50 days since ‘The Writers Guild of America’ has been on strike. But no resolution seems to be in sight.

Several factors put the writers at a big disadvantage:

• Many people would watch acclaimed, older movies on OTT platforms instead of heading to the theatre for movies they perceive as mediocre.
• Our watch-list on the OTT platforms will outlast the strike by a huge margin.
• Live sports are fast emerging as a serious entertainment alternative.
• Most youngsters already prefer YouTube and TikTok shorts to old-school movies and television series.

Even assuming good faith on Hollywood’s part, there is little they can do in this new normal. I’m curious as to how this would end for the writers.