SAG-AFTRA Ends Strike After Deal to Protect Actors From 'Threat of AI'

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The U.S. actors’ union SAG-AFTRA has ended its months-long strike after reaching a “tentative deal” with Hollywood studios that includes provisions to protect actors from the “threat of AI.”

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced the end of the strike in a Twitter thread, announcing that the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee had voted unanimously to approve a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade association representing the Hollywood studios.

“In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes ‘above-pattern’ minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI,” SAG-AFTRA wrote.

Actors vs AI

While exact details of the agreement won’t be revealed until it has been reviewed by the SAG-AFTRA National Board, reports earlier this week indicated that the studios had offered concessions around AI regulation following a “last, best, and final offer” to the actors’ guild on Saturday.

In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes “above-pattern” minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI,… pic.twitter.com/lQe6snkQsY

— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) November 9, 2023

Hollywood trade paper Variety reported that the two sides had resolved “some of the pending issues on AI,” which had become a sticking point in the negotiations.

The Hollywood Reporter indicated that a particular AI clause in the AMPTP’s offer had raised the ire of SAG-AFTRA, which sought to allow the studios to pay for AI scans of Schedule F performers, who earn more than the minimum rate for series regulars and feature films.

The clause would have allowed studios to use those scans after the actor’s death, without the consent of their estate or the union. SAG-AFTRA sought to secure compensation for the reuse of the scans, as well as consent.

With the strike resolved, production could resume as soon as the start of 2024, following months of disruption to film and television production that’s seen the 2024 release calendar thrown into disarray.