Why Would Hollywood Trade Actors for Bots? SAG Strike a Battle Over AI

[A.I. & Hollywood Part 1] The SAG Hollywood strike is impacting writers, actors, and production companies. But when HypXR started looking deeper into the implications of A.I. being allowed to take over this entertainment industry, Nick and Rob realized that this could set a precedent for a ton of other industries, as well. What are the ethical concerns when someone’s entire likeness is owned by a corporation? Why do huge studios REALLY want to be able to do what they want using A.I. to make the next biggest movies or your favorite TV shows? Well, if you thought Westworld was just fiction, HypXR has a lot of ideas and experience to share, so join the HypXR podcast that’ll help you navigate the multiverse.

In this episode, see the latest attempts by artificial intelligence to make commercials. What kind of ad does a computer make to sell pizza and beer? When it comes to Hollywood actors’ and writers’ rights and how artificial intelligence affects them, HypXR wanted to hear firsthand from those people themselves. Watch a clip from Michael Jamin, a veteran comedy writer who explained what was at stake. On the topic of AI affecting the entertainment industry, what happens when a studio owns or has a contract on someone’s entire likeness? When is your likeness not your likeness anymore? A.I. influencers seem to be becoming more popular. Ever heard of the “uncanny valley”? It’s the creepy feeling people get when they encounter something that’s “almost” human, but not quite—like a humanistic robot. Speaking of the uncanny valley, what is the world’s creepiest robot?

Back on the Hollywood discussion, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher made several speeches about how poorly the screen actors were being treated by a “very greedy entity.” What are the unions actually asking for? Nick and Rob discuss big budget movie flops from studios and industries that had previously knocked stories out of the park, like Lucasfilm and Disney. They also talk about successes like “Barbenheimer,” the marketing sensation that came from the premieres of Oppenheimer and Barbie. Interestingly, there’s a pattern of people refusing to work for companies they don’t like or who don’t treat them well, so what could this spell for the future of entertainment companies? Will stars jump on the A.I. bandwagon to make a buck, or will they stand in solidarity against companies who want to own the right to do anything?