AI: agreement between Hollywood actors and studios

Following a historic strike launched in mid-July, actors and major U.S. studios reached agreement on November 8 on a new 3-year collective agreement for actors, dancers, stuntmen and other members of the powerful Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA).

In addition to the negotiated minimum wage, which represents their biggest increase in decades, it was above all the issues relating to the protection of actors from AI that were at the heart of the debates. Actors fear that studios will force them to accept the recording of their voice and image for uses to which they can neither consent nor receive remuneration.

The agreement stipulates that an actor will receive the same salary for the use of his digital replica as he would have received if he had done the same amount of work.And an actor's agreement must be obtained for each use of his digital replica, and the contract must describe precisely how the replica will be used.

Similarly, digital replicas cannot be used to avoid remunerating a second-tier actor.

Finally, "composite replicas", created from the body parts of different actors, can only be used with the agreement of the various actors concerned.

It now remains for SAG-Aftra to put the new collective agreement to the vote, but this should be a formality. Be that as it may, the union remains extremely mobilized, and is campaigning for AI regulation. It is calling for "legislative efforts" to protect everyone's right to their image, as well as an entire ecosystem that AI is undermining: hairdressers, make-up artists, drivers, set builders...