Scripted by AI: Hollywood Writers Strike & The Future of Labor in the Age of Automation
As Hollywood writers strike against AI scripting, Rick Rubin’s perspective on human creativity offers a fresh lens on labor and automation in the entertainment industry
In the early LA mist, the lines of Hollywood writers snake around major film studios. The rolling fog cloaks a pivotal moment: a standstill in the entertainment industry. But this isn't your typical workers' strike. This picket line is the frontline in the fight against the encroachment of artificial intelligence (AI) into the realm of scriptwriting. In the era of machine learning and automation, this conflict represents a 'canary in the coal mine,' presaging the seismic impact AI could have on myriad professions.
Tensions are boiling over between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The battlefield? The potential of AI, like ChatGPT, to brainstorm and script our next favorite TV show or blockbuster movie. Yes, dear reader, a concept that not too long ago belonged solely in the realm of Blade Runner or Westworld, is now the subject of heated labor negotiations.
Yet, this drama isn't just playing out in the hills of Hollywood. Remember the United Auto Workers strike against General Motors over the use of self-driving technology back in 2017? Or how about the protests by Amazon workers, Google employees, and even McDonald's staff in France over their companies' AI initiatives? The common thread is clear: AI's presence is increasingly being felt in our workspaces, and not everyone is thrilled about it.
So, when we say the writers' strike is a canary in the coal mine, we're talking about the red flags it raises for jobs in fields that we once thought were immune to automation. Think about it - if AI can hammer out a movie script, what's stopping it from writing news articles, drafting legal briefs, or even preparing financial reports? But before we surrender ourselves to the robot overlords, let's take a page out of Rick Rubin's book, "The Creative Act: A Way of Being."
Rubin's wisdom underscores our uniquely human capabilities - creativity, empathy, self-doubt, risk-taking, and authenticity - as the secret weapons in the AI-dominated job landscape. While AI might have us beat when it comes to crunching numbers and pattern recognition, it doesn't hold a candle to the depth and complexity of human creativity. We're not talking about creativity in the Bob-Ross-painting-happy-trees sense, but the kind of creativity that springs from our unique life experiences, emotions, beliefs, and the ability to question and learn from our failures.
Unions like the WGA and UAW could hold the key to navigating this brave new world. By negotiating terms of AI's application and spreading awareness among their workers, they could transform AI from a job killer to a job creator.
In this not-so-distant AI-driven future, the story of the canary in the coal mine serves as both a warning and an inspiration. Yes, AI is here, and it's going to change the way we work. But, with our uniquely human traits and the right kind of regulations in place, we have the power to shape how that story unfolds. As we brave this new frontier, let's ensure that the tale of AI isn't about job loss and fear, but one of creativity, co-existence, and shared prosperity.
Great piece. I'm a fan. While I agree with the premise. Please don't forget that besides AI, WGA and soon DGA, SAG have to also overcome loss of household carriage fees and a collapsed distribution (movie, TV, syndication, home media) model (unreported streaming) to get their fair share. It's a tall order this time - present and future value.