Equity members and actors working in film and TV have signed an open letter “to express concern at the lack of progress on securing AI protections for performers” and say that they will not “not accept any deal that does not grant us key protections” in this area.
At the time of writing, the open letter has amassed 1,472 signatures directed at producers’ trade body Pact.
Signatories include Tamsin Greig, Alan Davies, Emma D’Arcy, Nicola Walker and Wilf Scolding.
The letter has been organised by performers’ union Equity, who are currently negotiating a new agreement with Pact that will set minimum pay, terms and conditions for performers working in film and TV.
The agreement will also set the minimum terms for contracts used by streamers such as Apple, Netflix, and Disney plus.
It comes ahead of a meeting today (Wednesday 25 June) between Equity officials and Pact to discuss AI protections for performers, in which the union hopes to make progress on the matter. Equity submitted a claim for the new agreement over a year ago, but so far Pact has not presented a counterproposal for AI.
Equity member and actress Tamsin Greig says: “The current situation, with no explicit protections in our contracts, is completely untenable. Equity members have sent a strong message to Pact that we urgently need to regulate the use of AI in film and television, and protect performers’ image, voice and likeness.”
The Open letter to Pact
Dear PACT,We are writing ahead of your negotiation meeting with Equity Officials on 25 June to express concern at the lack of progress on securing AI protections for performers. We believe this is unacceptable and urge Pact to prioritise this crucial area affecting our industry and livelihoods.
Since Equity lodged the union’s claim regarding comprehensive protections for AI last year, generative AI systems continue to advance and have become more established in the production process. Meanwhile, thousands of performers working on Pact-Equity productions have been digitally scanned on set without their informed consent. We also have no transparency around how our performances, likeness and personal data are being recorded, stored and processed within the context of the production and beyond.Our union has put forward a constructive proposal that seeks to modernise our collective agreements across television and film, creating long-term foundations for regulating the use of AI in production. This includes important provisions on AI training, which the union has made clear is a red line in these negotiations. We will not accept any deal that does not grant us key protections for the use of our personal data for training AI systems and creating AI-generated performances.We urge you to use your next meeting to make significant progress on this matter, given no formal counter-claim has yet been presented by Pact.
Photo credit – Mark Thomas
Jon Creamer
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