Source: Fortune
Summary
SAG-AFTRA Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland stated that collective bargaining is the most effective way to regulate AI technology in the US, as adoption outpaces regulation. The union is focused on limiting the use of AI performers, including digital replicas and “synthetic” characters, in its ongoing contract negotiations with Hollywood studios. A proposed “Tilly tax” would levy a fee on “synthetic” performers to make using them cost as much as using real actors. SAG-AFTRA secured AI-related protections for its members after a 2023 strike. Crabtree-Ireland also called on Congress to pass the bipartisan NO FAKES Act to protect people from unauthorized AI-generated replicas.
Our Reading
The strategy enters a familiar phase.
SAG-AFTRA is using collective bargaining to regulate AI technology, with a focus on limiting AI performers and securing protections for its members. The proposed “Tilly tax” aims to make using AI performers as costly as using real actors. The union’s efforts come as AI adoption outpaces regulation in the US. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland’s call for Congress to pass the NO FAKES Act adds to the union’s push for regulation. The situation sounds like a classic case of “regulation by labor,” where unions step in to fill the gap left by slow-moving lawmakers.
Author: Evan Null
