Justine Bateman: Pulling AI Into the Arts Is “Absolutely the Wrong Direction”

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https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv...od-1235540858/

During this week’s ‘TV’s Top 5’ podcast, the writer, director and former actress — who served as a consultant to SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee — warns how artificial intelligence “is the end of the road” for Hollywood.

BY LESLEY GOLDBERG

JULY 21, 2023 5:00AM



Welcome to the 223rd episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

This week, we’re joined by Justine Bateman, the writer, director and producer who most recently served as a consultant on the use of artificial intelligence for SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee. Bateman, who rose to stardom with her twice-Emmy nominated role as Mallory Keaton on Family Ties, has a degree in computer science from UCLA and is also a member of the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA as well as the Directors Guild. She previously served on SAG’s national board of directors and joins us this week to discuss the AMPTP’s startling response to generative AI.

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Justine Bateman Discusses Concerns With SAG-AFTRA Deal’s AI Protections, Warns Loopholes Could “Collapse The Structure” Of Hollywood

By Katie Campione

November 17, 2023 3:45pm

Justine Bateman has spent the better part of this year warning Hollywood about the potential consequences of artificial intelligence in film and TV, even before the topic became a major part of contract negotiations for both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

While both guilds were able to secure guardrails surrounding the uses of AI in their latest contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Bateman — who is a former member of the SAG board and negotiating committee — thinks the actors union didn’t go far enough.

SAG-AFTRA’s 118-day strike came to an end last week, when the studios finally struck a deal with the guild. While the ratification vote started this week, the union has yet to release the full tentative MBA. Instead, they released a detailed summary of the contract, which includes extensive language about how the studios can and cannot use AI to replace actors or alter their performances.

Since then, Bateman has pointed out several concerns with the AI portion of the summary, including how the use of “synthetic performers” has the potential to replace living actors as well as how consent will (or won’t) be obtained to use digital replicas of real performers.

“I think generative AI is one of the worst ideas we’ve ever had in this society,” Bateman told Deadline during a recent interview in which she discusses the shortcomings of the current deal on the table and the longterm potential impacts of generative AI.

SAG-AFTRA has encouraged members to attend informational sessions and ask clarifying questions of their leadership before the ratification voting deadline on December 5. Many of the concerns brought forth during these sessions have been about AI. The guild’s National Executive Director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told Deadline today, “It does make me feel good to have those dialogues” ahead of the vote.

“While I recognize that there are people who have questions, doubts, or even concerns about the contract, I feel very confident that this contract is the absolute best deal that could be obtained in this negotiation, that the protections against the use of AI are very strong, and while they can definitely be improved and will be in future rounds of bargaining, that they provide the kind of core protection that our members expect,” he said. “And in recognition of the fact that we can’t stop the advance of technology and can channel that into the right direction….I think our members at large see that there are huge gains in this contract that are unprecedented and that just put us in a position to further advance our members interests in the next round of bargaining and beyond.”