The film industry is crumbling after unions have agreed to strike against unfair wages. After countless complaints from writers receiving next to nothing in payment for their work, such as residuals from streaming services and the ongoing threat of AI technology potentially replacing their jobs, it was time to speak out. 

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are unionized organizations formed to protect writers and actors from being exploited within the industry. The WGA strike began on May 2, and the SAG-AFTRA strike began shortly after on July 14.

This isn’t the first time that writers and actors have gone on strike against corporations, and anytime a new medium of entertainment or ways of making it comes out (especially if there are no laws behind it to protect workers, like with artificial intelligence), members of the industry have struck against it. 

The rise of streaming services in recent years has taken a huge toll on writers, actors and their pay. With artificial intelligence becoming more prominent within our society, many have begun experimenting with its capabilities.

Workers within the film industry, especially writers, fear that this technology will eradicate the need for writers. This has become problematic for the direction of the strike and the ongoing negotiations with corporations. 

Many are trying to push the video game industry to strike as well due to the fact workers in the interactive media industry receive the same harsh treatment as the writers and actors in film. The threat of AI and recreating people’s likenesses for video games – on top of little to no pay from residuals after a game’s release – has angered many workers. SAG-AFTRA asked its members to vote for the union’s right to strike to use it as leverage against corporations.

Despite these billion-dollar companies consistently making a fortune with the media that they put out, the same people who make those products are still financially struggling and living paycheck to paycheck.

The injustice of the matter has clearly displayed the pure greed of major corporations harboring most of the money for a select few higher-ups and paying a fraction of the rest to the workers behind the projects they release. 

As of Wednesday, Sept. 20, representatives of the unions striking and the CEOs of Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discover and NBCUniversal resumed negotiations. According to a source from CNN who has ties to the ongoing negotiations, it was reported that the participants left “feeling encouraged” about the future of the strike. This could potentially mean an end to the months-long strike that has already cost companies billions of dollars. A positive outcome to this strike will be beneficial to the writers and actors who can resume their work with the pay they deserve.

Despite these strikes having occurred in the past, this one has sparked the most interest and the sympathy of the public. After months of protests against corporations and ongoing negotiations, many are eagerly waiting for an outcome that gives writers and actors the pay they deserve and protection against the exploitative use of artificial intelligence.