Equity, the performing arts workers union, is campaigning against the use of AI in film and audio production, calling for laws to be changed to protect performers’ rights.
The group in their campaign called “Stop AI Stealing The Show” proposes that laws should be introduced which would force companies to get actors’ permissions before using AI to replicate their likeness or voice.
According to the report, currently, companies don’t require consent to use an actor’s likeness as it “reproduces performances without generating a ‘recording’ or a ‘copy.’”
Research conducted by Equity surveyed over 400 members, of which 79 percent who had taken part in AI work before felt that they didn’t fully understand their rights before signing their contracts.
But the more troubling discovery was that more than 90 percent of voiceover workers who were surveyed felt that AI posed a great threat to their employment opportunities. Testimonies shared by Equity in its report voice concerns of members that had experience with AI, where one individual revealed that their voice was dubbed without their consent thus spoiling their performance, while another shared an incident where a TV used CGI to fake someone’s presence.
“A client didn’t want to appear in a TV show that he had previously been in. They used CGI to fake his involvement in an episode without paying him for using his image.”
Speaking to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Government voiced their concerns about introducing new legislation that would completely inhibit AI. They explained that the best solution would be to make sure that AI is regulated in a way that won’t negatively affect innovation while still protecting “people and our fundamental values.”
More on this as we hear it.
