In the United Kingdom, stakeholders have approved a project against digital scanning in audiovisual productions. This document follows growing pressure against the use of artificial intelligence in the creative market. Organized by the Equity union, representing British artists, the decision was taken by a large majority.
Equity reported that 99.6% of participants voted against digitalization, in a vote that brought together thousands of union members. Common on film sets, the digital scanning of actors’ bodies and faces allows for the creation of digital replicas that can be used in other productions, in many cases through the use of AI.
“Artists working in cinema and television voted overwhelmingly to refuse the digital scanner on sets in order to ensure protection against artificial intelligence,” the union said in a note published on its social networks.
“This decisive result proves the strength of the feeling of professionals, who wish to protect their rights in the face of AI and have declared themselves ready to refuse digital scanning on set as a form of action prior to the strike,” adds the press release.
According to Equity general secretary Paul Fleming, artificial intelligence is one of the biggest challenges of today’s generation, and staff are prepared to “cause significant disruption to productions if it is not met.” “For the first time in decades, members of the film and television industry are showing they are prepared to take industrial action.”
The vote does not provide any form of legal protection to actors if they refuse digital scanning on film sets. The union also announced on its networks that the result would be transmitted to Pact, an entity which represents the majority of producers in the United Kingdom. The aim is to carry out negotiations seeking new minimum remuneration standards for artists and new conditions for the use of their data, voice and image.
“We will demand that producers return to the negotiating table with a better proposal on artificial intelligence,” the union said. “If this does not happen, Equity will call a statutory vote to authorize industrial action. »
Discussions like these have been pervading the industry for some time. In Hollywood, when actors and writers hit 2023, the use of artificial intelligence and scanning was among the topics discussed and the recent case of actress Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated character that went viral on the Internet, sparked debates similar to that proposed by Equity.
Artists like Hugh Boneville, known for his role in the series “Downton Abbey”, and actress Harriet Walter, of the series “Succession”, have spoken out publicly in support of the union’s campaign.
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