By Victoria Pevzner ‘24, Editor-in-Chief

Members of the SAG-AFTRA rally outside Paramount Studios. Image Credit: CNN

Red carpets, cameras flashing, blockbuster films, Hollywood: these are the images we visualize when we think about actors. The truth of the matter is, however, that not all actors are wealthy “A-list” celebrities who live in glamorous Beverly Hills mansions. In fact, only 2% of actors make a living from the profession, with a fraction of that percentage becoming “A-listers.” Most of these workers, who belong to the lower and middle classes, have faced increasing hardship which became especially heightened during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly devastating for actors was a loss of jobs, a reduction of working hours, and an ever-present housing crisis. 

Exhausted with the continual devastation they were facing in the arts and entertainment industry, actors united in an organization called SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) to increase the conversation surrounding fair pay for screenwriters and thespians. 

On July 14, 2023, the words “All strike! Shut it down! LA is a union town!” rang through the city of Los Angeles (SAG-AFTRA “On Strike”, 2023). The chant signified the start of a movement, the result of what many referred to as “failed negotiations” between SAG-AFTRA and organizations like AMPTA (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers). In a career where workers are already barely supported by their employers, the conversation surrounding pay has become more than significant. 

The SAG-AFTRA strike follows the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike. Both groups, although separate, have similar goals and concerns in relation to the changing environment. They have advocated for increasing pay and, even more recently, have raised concerns regarding the presence of artificial intelligence (AI), and the necessity to increase protection around it so it doesn’t end up taking the jobs and work of the actors and writers. 

While the goal of the ongoing strikes is to bring more compensation into the lives of actors and screenwriters, they are to some degree doing the opposite. One screenwriter for example (who chooses to conceal her identity) is a first-year member of the WGA and fully supports the union’s cause. However, being unemployed for so long, because of the strikes, has pushed her and other writers and actors into even more of an unstable financial situation than they were in previously when working in the industry. As a result, many were forced to take up other jobs— waiting at a restaurant, working as a cashier, walking dogs, and even filling out low-paying surveys— to make at least a little bit of cash that could be added to their reserve (NBC, 2023).

The strikes have exposed the hardships faced by many workers in the arts and entertainment industries. They have also demonstrated the need for more discussion surrounding the impact of AI. While SAG-AFTRA focuses on this topic specifically in the performing arts, the conversation about AI is just as present in the visual arts as well. Recently, there has been significant controversy surrounding “AI Art”, or paintings, compositions, and photographs that are created through the use of generative AI. Like the performing arts, the visual art sector can also be negatively affected by this trend, as AI also puts the careers of artists, musicians, and photographers in jeopardy. It is important to keep this concept in mind in light of changing technology; understanding the SAG-AFTRA perspective on the negative impact of AI in the arts can help us better comprehend its possible effects when used in other areas, like business, medicine, education, and more.