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☆ SAG-AFTRA slammed explicit AI images of Taylor Swift — but it agreed to some concerning AI terms following last year's Hollywood strike
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe SAG-AFTRA actors' union has issued a statement addressing the explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift that went viral this week. The actors' union condemned the deepfake images, calling them "upsetting, harmful, and deeply concerning." But some actors are still concerned over the new AI terms, particularly over the "vague" consent exemptions, Mashable reported. "The most serious issue of them all is the inclusion in the agreement of "Synthetic Performers," or "AI Objects," resembling humans.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Joe Morelle's, Taylor, Jay L, Justine Bateman Organizations: Service, Business, SAG, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Alliance, Television Producers, Mashable, Employers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood’s actors have voted to ratify the deal with studios that ended their strike after nearly four months, leaders announced Tuesday. The approval of the three-year contract from the members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists was no certainty, with some prominent members voicing dissent on the deal for which the union leaders bargained. But the outcome is a major relief for SAG-AFTRA leaders and an entertainment industry that is attempting to return to normal after months of labor strife. Political Cartoons View All 1283 ImagesThose leaders had freed actors to return to work, declaring the strike over as soon as the tentative deal was struck Nov. 8. “It is purposefully vague and demands union members to release their autonomy....

Persons: —, Fran Drescher, Justine Bateman, Matthew Modine, stoked, “, ” Modine, Drescher, Jessica Chastain, Colman Domingo, “ Rustin, ”, ” Domingo, John Carucci Organizations: ANGELES, Screen, American Federation of Television, Radio, SAG, Hollywood, Alliance, Television Producers, Associated, AP, Associated Press Locations: New York

☆ Hollywood actors union ratifies new contract with studios
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —Members of SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood actors union, have ratified a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios and streamers, the union said on Tuesday. Hollywood actors and producers reached the tentative deal on November 8, after tumultuous negotiations throughout the year. The actors union strike ended on midnight after the deal was tentatively reached, tentatively concluding one of the most disruptive strikes in Hollywood’s history. But the actors’ contract negotiations didn’t last long, breaking down on October 11 before returning later in the month. On Wednesday, November 8, the actors union announced they had reached a tentative agreement, allowing actors to soon return to work.

Persons: Fran Drescher, ” AMPTP, Drescher, Bryan Cranston, ”, AFTRA, Justine Bateman, Matthew Modine —, “, we’re, Caitlin Dulany, you’re, Dulany, Bloods ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, SAG, Hollywood, Alliance, Television Producers, Writers Guild of America, didn’t, CNN, LA, AMPTP, Abbott, Bloods Locations: New York

Copyright Office. Copyright Office, which registered more than 480,000 copyrights last year covering millions of individual works but is increasingly being asked to register works that are AI-generated. So far, copyright claims for fully machine-generated content have been soundly rejected because copyright laws are designed to protect works of human authorship. More than 9,700 comments were sent to the Copyright Office, part of the Library of Congress, before an initial comment period closed in late October. So far, courts have largely sided with tech companies in interpreting how copyright laws should treat AI systems.

Persons: ”, “ We’ve, Shira Perlmutter, Perlmutter, Justine Bateman, ” Bateman, “, Lilla Zuckerman, craven, Marc Beeson, who’s, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Beeson, “ ravenous, Heidi Bond, Courtney Milan, Bond, ” Perlmutter Organizations: . Copyright, Technology, Associated Press, U.S . Copyright, Copyright, of Congress, Gentlemen, US Copyright, Hollywood, Universal, Group, New York Times, FAIR, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, U.S, Supreme Locations: U.S, United States, Nashville, American, San Francisco

☆ This video of David Attenborough narrating a programmer's life shows Hollywood actors were right to be afraid of AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A programmer has created an AI version of David Attenborough to narrate his life. AdvertisementIf you've ever wanted acclaimed broadcaster and documentary filmmaker Sir David Attenborough to narrate your life, you're not alone — and you don't have to keep merely wishing for it anymore. He's been posting quirky experiments with AI on X — like one that uses AI to recommend how you should correct your posture. And it's made possible by combining OpenAI's GPT-4-vision — an AI model that can describe what it sees — and code from Elevens Lab, an AI voice startup. One X user wrote, "I'm going to get David Attenborough to narrate videos of my baby learning how to eat broccoli."

Persons: David Attenborough, Salma Hayek —, —, you've, Sir David Attenborough, Charlie Holtz, Holtz, Attenborough, @charliebholtz, Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy —, it's, Justine Bateman, Bateman Organizations: Service, Elevens Lab, Hollywood, Actors

Hollywood jumped into planning mode Thursday at the news of a tentative agreement between striking actors and the major entertainment companies. Just hours after the tentative agreement was announced, “The Marvels” star Iman Vellani was already being offered to press for interviews. The Walt Disney Co. movie, which cost over $200 million to produce, opens this weekend with showtimes starting as early as Thursday afternoon. Searchlight Pictures also started actively planning things for Michael Fassbender, who stars in Taika Waititi's “Next Goal Wins,” out next week. Brunson’s writing team had already been back in the room, but the strike’s suspension clears the way for filming.

Persons: Hollywood, what's, Iman Vellani, Michael Fassbender, ”, Timothée Chalamet, Wonka ”, Jason Momoa, publicists, Joe Biden, ” Biden, “, they’ve, Gavin Newsom, Simu Liu, “ Barbie, ” Lui, “ Bravo, ” Albert Brooks, Rob Reiner, “ Albert Brooks, Max, ” Brooks, ” Octavia Spencer, ” “ Abbott, Quinta Brunson, “ we’re, Justine Bateman, Priscilla ”, “ Ferrari, Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein, “ Maestro, Carey Mulligan, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Jeffrey Wright, Ridley Scott’s “ Napoleon, Joaquin Phoenix, Martin Scorsese’s, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert DeNiro, Alexander Payne’s “, Paul Giamatti, Annette Bening, Jodie Foster Organizations: Walt Disney Co, showtimes, Searchlight Pictures, Screen Actors, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, “ SAG, SAG, HBO Locations: California, Venice

To studio executives who negotiated with the SAG-AFTRA president, the former star of "The Nanny" prolonged a strike while she relished her high-profile role. As president of the 160,000-member SAG-AFTRA union, Drescher won widespread praise from performers for her tenacity in fighting for better wages and protections against the rising threat of artificial intelligence technology. Drescher framed her actions as part of a broader labor movement battling Corporate America, where, in her view, executives place Wall Street's approval and their own compensation ahead of the welfare of workers. Studio executives, who declined to criticize Drescher publicly to avoid inflaming labor talks, said the 66-year-old Drescher delivered similar unvarnished critiques to industry leaders during closed-door negotiations. "Her interest as the union president is to see all performers, from background to the top 2%, succeed in a vibrant industry for the next century and beyond."

Persons: Fran Drescher, Duncan Crabtree, Fran Fine, Drescher, Kate Bond, Jill Morgan, AFTRA, Wall, Norma Rae, Ivy Kagan Bierman, Loeb & Loeb, Shari Belafonte, Belafonte, Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, Kimberly Westbrook, Fran, Westbrook, Justine Bateman, Alex Plank, Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Ezra, She's, Plank, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SAG, Writers Guild of America, Hollywood, Netflix, Broadway, CBS, Corporate America, Loeb &, NBC, Walt Disney, Amazon Studios, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, ANGELES, Queens, Ireland

☆ Hollywood's AI issues are far from settled after writers' labor deal with studios
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Drew Richardson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Writers Guild of America's labor deal with Hollywood studios was billed as a big win for writers, but industry experts fear the agreement's artificial intelligence guardrails won't be enough. The contract does, however, leave room for studios to train AI using preexisting material. WGA's original May proposal, which triggered the strike, would have disallowed studios from using any materials to train AI outright. Hollywood studios training AI with preexisting materials could create a whole new set of issues for writers by allowing the studios to use previous work to generate similar materials without the writer's consent or even awareness. Allowing studios to train AI with preexisting material was a "punt" down the line, and studios will inevitably "push to use AI as far as possible," said Peter Csathy, founder and chairman of media legal advisory company Creative Media.

Persons: Justine Bateman, Leslie Callif, Donaldson, Callif, Peter Csathy Organizations: Writers Guild of America, The, Hollywood, CNBC, WGA, Alliance, Television Producers, Beverly, Creative Media Locations: Netflix's, York, New York City, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, U.S

☆ A lot of meetings over Zoom are private 'like therapist appointments': filmmaker Justine Bateman
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailA lot of meetings over Zoom are private 'like therapist appointments': filmmaker Justine BatemanHosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy. Tune in Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC.

Persons: Justine Bateman, Brian Sullivan, “ Organizations: CNBC

☆ How A.I. took center stage in the Hollywood writers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Kate Sammer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The implementation of generative AI could mean sweeping changes for the entertainment industry. Advocates for AI technology see it as a tool that will uplift content creators and break down the barriers to entry. "And you don't have to have any sort of skills as a visual effects artist or as someone in the entertainment industry." Since the last writers' strike in 2007, widespread consumer adoption of video streaming has exemplified how novel technologies can upheave the entertainment industry. Discovery , losing billions and billions and billions of dollars a year."

Persons: Justine Bateman, Caleb Ward, Dan Rayburn, —, Rayburn Organizations: Guild of America, Netflix, — Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, Writers Guild of America, Hollywood

☆ Dr. Sanjay Gupta: It’s time to rethink what we call ‘old age’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Dr. Sanjay Gupta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Editor’s Note: In the new season of “Chasing Life,” CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores how to make the most of whatever age you’re at. Tune in to hear Dr. Sanjay Gupta interview his parents, and learn how changing our mindset around aging can influence our health and longevity. Another topic that we explore in the podcast is the idea of a midlife crisis. But Sin also told me that the whole concept of “midlife crisis” has shifted since millennials, in particular, have started hitting middle age. So what does midlife, and the midlife crisis, look like for them?

Persons: Sanjay Gupta, – I’ve, I’m, Archie Bunker, Diana Nyad, Jack LaLanne, ” We’ll, Justine Bateman, Paul Holbrook, spry, Holbrook, haven’t, Nancy Sin, Sin, ”, Dr, Becca Levy, CNN’s Andrea Kane Organizations: CNN, Pew, US Centers for Disease Control, University of British, CNN Health, Yale University Locations: University of British Columbia

☆ Digital doubles, fake trailers: AI worries Hollywood actors before labor talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

AI already has divided studios and striking film and television writers, who want assurances that the emerging technology will not be used to generate scripts. SAG-AFTRA wants to ensure its members can control use of their "digital doubles" and ensure studios pay the actual actors appropriately, said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union's chief negotiator. A representative for the AMPTP had no comment on its position on use of AI with actors. In negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the AMPTP proposed discussing the topic once a year, which the Guild viewed as an attempt to avoid the issue. You're never going to see anything like that if we're all using AI."

Persons: Julia Louis, Dreyfus, Christine, Wes Anderson, Harry Potter, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, AFTRA, Duncan Crabtree, Crabtree, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Reeves, Leland Morrill, we're, Morrill, Justine Bateman, Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, Walt Disney, Ford, Stephen Colbert, James Earl Jones, Darth Vader, Carrie Fisher, AFTRA's Crabtree, Bateman, " Bateman, Lisa Richwine, Jorge Ramos, Dawn Chmielewski, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Warner Bros ., Screen, Writers Guild America, YouTube, SAG, Microsoft Corp, Walt Disney Co's, Lucasfilm, Disney, Alliance, Television Producers, Netflix Inc, Writers Guild of America, WGA, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, ANGELES, Hollywood, Ireland, ., Los Angeles

☆ Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang and Jay Leno show support for writers on strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Several familiar faces are walking the walk in support of TV and movie writers who are on strike. Members of the Writers Guild of America earlier this week after failing to reach a new contract agreement with studios and streamers. Jay Leno brought doughnuts to a picket line in video shared on social media. Deadline shared a video of “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon at a picket line in New York City. “I think it’s incumbent upon all of us who care about writers, who care about creative television and movies, to come out here and show support.”

☆ TV and film writers are fighting to save their jobs from AI. They won’t be the last
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A powerful new crop of AI tools, trained on vast troves of data online, can now generate essays, song lyrics and other written work in response to user prompts. While there are clearly limits for how well AI tools can produce compelling creative stories, these tools are only getting more advanced, putting writers like August on guard. But as part of their demands, the WGA is also fighting to protect their livelihoods from AI. Stephanie Elam/CNNWhile film and TV writers in Hollywood may currently be leading the charge, professionals in other industries will almost certainly be paying attention. “Watch this #WGA strike carefully,” Justine Bateman, a writer, director and former actress, wrote in a tweet shortly after the strike kicked off.

☆ Opinion: Texas judge’s stunning ruling caps extraordinary week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Tennessee legislators targeted three members of the state House for joining a gun control protest in the chamber, expelling two young Black men while failing to oust a 60-year-old White woman. (He gave the Biden administration a week to appeal the ruling before it goes into effect. Thus, the week that began with Trump facing a judge in Manhattan ended with a Trump-appointed judge overturning more than two decades of medical practice. “They go far too fast to be safe on the sidewalk” and aren’t right for bike lanes or roads either.

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