Week 5 and 6: Digital Ghosts in the Machine: An Analysis of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike and the Battle for Digital Rights in the Age of AI
The Precipice – Hollywood's 2023 Labor Standoff The year 2023 will be remembered in Hollywood history as a period of profound industrial unrest when the engines of production ground to a halt under the weight of dual labor strikes. For the first time since 1960, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) stood together on picket lines, creating a near-total shutdown of the American film and television industry. 1 This historic standoff was not merely a dispute over wages and working conditions; it was a battle for the future of creative professions in an era of disruptive technology, pitting human artistry against the specter of artificial intelligence. The Dual Strikes: A Timeline of Unrest The conflict began with the writers. The WGA commenced negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on March 20, 2023, presenting demands to address compensation erosion...