Is the Hollywood actors’ strike a preview of the future?

In recent years, we have seen tremendous advances in artificial intelligence (AI), many of which are expected to disrupt existing markets and professions. Due to the unprecedented speed and scope of new technological developments in AI, there is significant concern that workers might lose their jobs without the ability or support to re-skill fast enough to take advantage of new opportunities that AI might present. The recent strikes by the unions for writers and actors in Hollywood highlight this important issue since the planned use of AI by film studios to replace writers and actors was one of the most difficult aspects during the negotiations between the unions and the studios. To some extent, the entertainment industry is a bellwether for other sectors since the impacts of AI can already be felt and so the early dynamics between workers and employers over the use of AI can provide valuable lessons for the future of labor policy and labor negotiations in other sectors.

On November 15, the Brookings Center on Regulation and Markets explored this important issue. The event featured a keynote fireside chat with Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, a union that represents 160,000 media professionals worldwide. The fireside chat was moderated by Loni Mahanta, a Brookings nonresident fellow and was followed by a panel of experts, including Stephanie Bell from Partnership on AI and Anton Korinek, a Brookings nonresident fellow. The panel was moderated by Brookings Visiting Fellow Alberto Rossi. This event was a part of the Center’s series on “The Economics and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies.”

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