Entertainment Labor Leaders Discuss A.I.’s Impact on the Industry at SAG-AFTRA SXSW Panel

On March 7, 2025, as part of the 2025 SXSW Conference, SAG-AFTRA hosted The Future of Hollywood in an A.I.-Saturated World.

The panel featured leaders from the major entertainment unions — IATSE International Vice President & Assistant Department Director of Motion Picture and Television Production Vanessa Holtgrewe; WGA East, AFL-CIO Executive Director Sam Wheeler; and DGA Associate National Executive Director & Western Executive Director Rebecca Rhine — with SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland as moderator.

The group discussed the continued effects of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies on the entertainment industry. The panel’s discussion of recent union negotiation wins led to other conversations about the similarities and differences of each organization’s experiences in approaching A.I.

“Part of knowing how to address these problems is actually knowing what’s happening, and that requires an intense amount of commitment of effort and energy from your team and the folks on the other side of the table to be forthcoming about what they’re doing,” said Crabtree-Ireland.

For some, the differing experiences of creatives and concerns from employers regarding intellectual property and copyright laws pointed to a greater need for attention toward universal protections through legislative laws.

“The copyright issue is a very big deal to the studios, and, for our folks, it’s been good, in that [employers] do really want to hear from our people because if something isn’t [protected under] copyright — if anybody can make Superman’s suit and you don’t own it anymore — that’s very bad. So, they’re being very cautious and careful about A.I.,” said Holtgrewe.

Added Rhine, “Ultimately, there has to be some federal legislation, and I think all the unions are discussing among themselves about what approaches may bear the most fruit.”

Throughout the panel, the speakers reaffirmed the need for A.I. to be regarded as a tool rather than a replacement for “human-made work.” Wheeler deemed the distinction between the two as important as unions and employers will need to understand how A.I. impacts Hollywood’s decision on the types of stories told to audiences.

“If A.I. has never had its heart broken or never lost a job or had a best friend betray it, is A.I. ever going to surprise us?” said Wheeler. “We still want the stories to be coming from and rooted in the human experience, so we can push further and not just have retellings of stories we’ve already been told.”

A recording of the panel is available on the SAG-AFTRA podcast.

Photo: From left, IATSE International Vice President & Assistant Department Director of Motion Picture and Television Production Vanessa Holtgrewe; SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland; WGA East, AFL-CIO Executive Director Sam Wheeler; and DGA Associate National Executive Director & Western Executive Director Rebecca Rhine at the “The Future of Hollywood in an A.I.-Saturated World” SXSW panel on March 7, 2025, in Austin.