CES: What Mattered to Hollywood

Deepfakes, artificial intelligence, de-aging technology and their impact on actors and the workforce was discussed and debated at SAG-AFTRA and AFL-CIO’s 2nd annual Labor Innovation and Technology Summit, held on the opening day of CES. “Our work is being dramatically changed by technology,” said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris in her opening remarks. “But of all the people talking about it, who is really looking out for the working people?” Topics included the advantages and potential pitfalls of new technology. This included discussion of how an actor's likeness can be exploited from unauthorized Deepfakes (relatedly, last week Facebook revealed plans to prohibit Deepfakes on its services). Meanwhile, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA COO and general counsel, urged members to contact the union if they are going to be scanned for a motion picture to better understand their contractual rights. Speakers representing labor and technology also included David White, national executive director, SAG-AFTRA; Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO; and Jonathan Taplin, director emeritus, USC Annenberg Innovation Lab.

Read the full article in The Hollywood Reporter