The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is in the midst of a strike that has been ongoing since April 2021. As negotiations continue, Adam Conover, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, recently spoke out about the issues at hand and how they are being addressed.
Conover discussed his concerns with AI writers rooms and how he believes it could potentially undermine the traditional writers room model. He argued that while AI technology can be used to create content quickly and efficiently, it cannot replace human creativity or collaboration in storytelling. He also expressed concern over what he sees as an attempt by AMPTP to use DGA contracts to “undercut” WGA members’ wages and benefits.
In response to these issues, Conover said that the WGA is pushing for more transparency from studios when it comes to their use of AI technology in writing projects. The guild wants studios to disclose which projects are using AI-generated scripts so that writers can make informed decisions about whether or not they want to work on them. Additionally, Conover noted that the guild is advocating for better pay and benefits for its members who do choose to work on such projects so as not to be undercut by lower-paid DGA contracts.
Conover also highlighted other areas where progress has been made during negotiations between AMPTP and WGA representatives thus far this year: residuals payments have increased significantly; streaming services will now offer minimum guarantees; there will be improved protections against sexual harassment; new credits rules have been established; health care contributions have gone up; pension contributions have risen substantially; travel allowances have increased significantly; diversity initiatives are being implemented across all platforms including television series production staffs; parental leave policies are being strengthened among many others improvements .
Overall, despite some disagreements between both sides regarding certain topics such as AI usage in writing rooms , Conover remains optimistic about reaching an agreement soon given all of these positive developments throughout negotiations thus far this year .
|Negotiating Committee Member Adam Conover On Battle Over AI & Preservation Of The Writers Room, AMPTP Using DGA To “Undercut” WGA |Labor|Deadline
