SAG-AFTRA General Counsel Talks A.I., Video Game Strike at TheGrill 2024

SAG-AFTRA General Counsel Jeff Bennett spoke to the importance of artificial intelligence protections in entertainment at TheGrill 2024 conference on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles.

During the conversation, A.I. and the Future of Union Negotiations, Bennett conversed with TheWrap Hollywood Labor & Box Office Reporter Jeremy Fuster about SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing initiatives that address the increased use of A.I.

The conversation brought focus to the union’s multifaceted approach towards A.I. protections in film, television and video games through its collective bargaining agreements and other collaborative efforts with longtime and emerging companies within the industry. As the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement strike continues, Bennett cited the necessity of ensuring all performers earn equitable wages and have their likenesses and work protected.

“If you are bringing people in to perform, to animate the characters in your video game, you need those human performances. Don’t then turn around and replicate those and use them across characters and across other video games without consent for each and every time you want to use that person’s performance,” said Bennett.

He also highlighted the union’s recent successes in supporting policies that introduce guardrails against A.I.’s more harmful and exploitative uses, including its public backing of the Nurture Originals, Foster Art and Keep Entertainment Safe, or NO FAKES, Act and the recently passed California Assembly Bills AB 2602 and AB 1836.

“It’s a web of protections, [but] none of these are the silver bullet that’s going to solve problems that we’re going to have to deal with when it comes to digital replication or synthetic content. It … accomplish[es] a goal that I feel is urgent,” said Bennett.

TheGrill, a yearly conference hosted by TheWrap, examines the entertainment landscape through important panels, chats and roundtable discussions with entertainment, media and tech executives. Its 2024 conference deep-dived into A.I.’s influence and disruptions to the entertainment industry’s existing business models.

A full replay of A.I. and the Future of Union Negotiations is available on TheWrap’s YouTube channel.

Photo: ‘TheWrap’ Hollywood Labor & Box Office Reporter Jeremy Fuster and SAG-AFTRA General Counsel Jeff Bennett during ‘A.I. and the Future of Union Negotiations’ for TheGrill 2024 on Oct. 8. Photo courtesy of TheWrap.