What Hollywood thinks about existential AI warnings
SAG-AFTRA and WGAE leaders say AI existential warnings risk distraction from present harms to entertainment workers, urging enforceable guardrails.
The Verge asked Hollywood studios and AI startups to respond to recent existential AI warnings, including Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon's departure and alignment lead Evan Hubinger's claim that AI could kill humans within a decade; none responded. SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland credited union bargaining during the 2023 strikes for codified consent and compensation rules on AI digital replicas, while calling some extinction warnings potentially overblown. WGAE executive director Sam Wheeler said collective bargaining cannot replace government regulation and praised state-level rules like New York's in the absence of federal action.
- Studios including Disney, Netflix, Amazon and Lionsgate did not comment
- SAG-AFTRA won enforceable AI replica consent and compensation rules in 2023
- WGAE argues collective bargaining is no substitute for government AI regulation
- Anthropic exits by Jacob Coxon and Evan Hubinger warnings frame the debate
From the original article
5 min read at theverge.com
As the tech sector sounds alarms about AI's potential to destroy humanity, entertainment labor groups are urging the public to stay focused on what's already happening.
By Charles Pulliam-Moore · theverge.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.