New Deadline Set in Animation Guild Contract Negotiations as Guidelines Around AI Use Loom

Guild members say they are seeking fair wages, job security, and commonsense guardrails around generative AI use before the Dec. 2 contract deadline.
New Deadline Set in Animation Guild Contract Negotiations as Guidelines Around AI Use Loom
A strike sign in front of the Disney Feature Animation Building as members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild walk a picket line outside Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., on July 14, 2023. Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images
Elma Aksalic
Updated:
0:00

Contract negotiations for The Animation Guild (TAG) have made little to no progress, as protections against artificial intelligence (AI) technology remain a major topic of discussion.

Negotiators agreed to extend the labor contract between the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Oct. 30 before it expires on Nov. 1.

Despite the meeting, the two parties must now reach a consensus before the updated Dec. 2 deadline.

TAG, also known as IATSE Local 839, represents nearly 5,000 animation artists, writers, and technicians.

Members are seeking fair wages, job security, and commonsense guardrails around generative AI use, noting the AMPTP is investing in systems “designed to siphon creativity out of our content and shrink crews even further.”

Along with other entertainment entities in Hollywood, TAG argues that AI poses a unique threat to animators’ livelihoods and that while it currently can’t replace all human creatives, it can already perform some of the basic tasks that were once included in entry-level positions.

The elimination of staff positions creates a financially unstable environment and almost entirely eliminates current and future writers from the workforce.

A basic agreement was originally negotiated in June. At the time, it only included blanket protection for its TAG employees against AI, with members seeking stronger terms.

The agreement insisted that any AI work cannot be outsourced to non-union labor, ensuring that if a worker loses a job due to AI, he or she is entitled to severance and retraining.

Additionally, workers can request a “consultation” on AI usage at their leisure. An AI Task Force has been set up to establish any AI training or identify concerns surrounding the technology.

Union workers and their supporters have already held a number of demonstrations since they began negotiations in August, including a march outside the Netflix office in Burbank, California.

The union has announced that more demonstrations will be held in front of other AMPTP member companies in the next few weeks.

TAG is joining other Hollywood unions in lobbying at the state and federal levels for AI-related legislation, with safeguard bills such as SB 1047 already making headway in California.
More than 125 celebrities signed an open letter supporting the legislation, reaffirming the grave threat that AI technology poses to artists and citizens alike.

In a similar move, more than 200 recording artists signed an open letter denouncing AI usage, calling the technology an “enormous threat to our ability to protect our privacies, our identities, our music, and our livelihoods.”

The Epoch Times reached out to TAG and AMPTP for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Elma Aksalic
Elma Aksalic
Freelance Reporter
Elma Aksalic is a freelance entertainment reporter for The Epoch Times and an experienced TV news anchor and journalist covering original content for Newsmax magazine.
twitter