SAG-AFTRA and AI

Tomorrow marks a pivotal moment in Hollywood. The Screen Actors Guild, or SAG-AFTRA, is voting to go on strike, much like The WGA did. While the situation in acting’s different than writing, an overlapping concern is about AI replacing the human element. Like how writers are concerned machines will replace them, so too are performers. While this, together with residual cheques, has been years in progress, it’s only now gotten bad enough that people are putting their feet down.

Which begs the question: why aren’t more consumers sensitive to it?

Recently, the voice acting world was faced with said apathy. Erica Lindbeck put out a request on her Twitter account to stop people from using her voice without permission. Rather than respect that request, she received harassment from Tweeters who didn’t think it was a big deal. The attacks got so bad that Lindbeck deactivated her account, leading to other VAs coming to her defence.

This should be a no-brainer: an individual in the entertainment industry requested that she be respected. She wasn’t, and she got attacked. Normally this’d warrant self-reflection, but since Twitter misunderstands consent, it isn’t surprising. As someone who survived GamerGate, I know that all too well. Also, Twitter sucks.

What bugs me more is the aftermath, particularly the fallout. While I appreciate VAs coming to Lindbeck’s defence, I don’t like people not understanding what they did wrong. To be fair, most individuals understood this was a blunder. But the few that didn’t, the loudest voices, acted like they were the victims and continued harassing VAs. It’s a classic case of entitlement, which is concerning in an age when people can anonymously steal someone’s likeness.

This circles back to a growing fear about overstepping boundaries in art. I’m not entirely against AI. I think that it has potential to assist artists when used correctly. Unfortunately, that’s not happening to the degree that it should, hence the concern. Basically, instead of complimenting artists and their work, AI’s being used as a total replacement for them. As an artist myself, that’s quite worrying.

It's also worrying because of the long-term implications. AI, as of right now, is in The Uncanny Valley: it can’t draw limbs properly, it makes blurry copies of other people’s work without their permission, and in the off-chance that it gets someone’s voice right, it still feels too calculated to pass as human. However, that might not last. Technology’s constantly getting better, and we already have near-perfect deepfakes that can be swapped with real actors. If AI ever becomes indistinguishable from reality, who’s to say it won’t replace the jobs of real people permanently?

That’s what Lindbeck’s situation, as well as SAG-AFTRA’s strike vote, is about. I don’t think anyone’s bemoaning AI’s existence. It’s used in many fields, including CGI modelling and rendering, and it’s not going away. But even with that, there still has to be a balance. The AI component can’t, and shouldn’t, override the human one, or we end up with inferior, calculated simulations of reality becoming the norm and drowning out lived experiences. That’s the real problem.

I’m also not happy with living, thinking individuals not comprehending this. Sure, Lindbeck’s one person, and I’m positive sexism also played a part with her. But if the VA response is indication, I doubt she’s an isolated example. And that people are continuing to ignore real artists’ wishes to not have their art replicated without permission because “AI is cool” is telling and naïve. Because who’s to say it won’t one day impact them too? Does it only matter when they’re on the chopping block themselves?

I won’t fix this problem on my own. I’m one person, and I have relatively little clout. I also know that even if I did have clout, it wouldn’t be enough to reverse the damage that shameless AI promoters are causing. However, I know I want my voice to be respected, and I know what it’s like to have it diluted. I’m sure I’m not alone on that.

As for the video that used Lindbeck’s voice without permission? I can’t take it down, I don’t have that kind of power, but I recommend no one watch it. I don’t care how “good” or “funny” it is, it’s a breach of consent. If Erica Lindbeck requests that her voice be respected, we should be sensitive to that. There’s no arguing around this.

Finally, regarding the SAG-AFTRA situation, I wouldn’t worry too much. Yes, it’ll suck to have film sets shut down, especially since no one will be working on new productions, but there’s more than enough content as is that it’s impossible to not have a personal backlog. Plus, people have a right to demand better working conditions, even if they’re famous. Human lives are more important than personal grievances over that new movie you’ve been looking forward to not coming out right away or being put on pause. That includes AI as well.