“AI f*** off”. Celebrities Lash Out at AI

A 1980s kid likely knows the name of the mother of the rebellion. Sarah Connor.

A 1980s kid also likely knows the name of the nanny living in the New York–British upper-class family. Fran Fine.

What do these two seemingly entirely different women have in common? 

They’re both opposing the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – though the former only fictionally.

Fran Drescher, who portrayed the flamboyant Fran-Fine-the-Nanny in the iconic series that ran between 1993-1999, may not be your obvious choice for the “mother of the resistance”. But her track-record has proved otherwise.

Having announced that SAG-AFTRA Hollywood is going on a strike on July 13, 2023, she has been leading them ever since. And she does not opt for soft words when talking about their essence.

“They are living in this dystopia. For the CEOs, they consider it entertainment. For the people with boots on the ground, they're living it — and they've had enough. As my mom always said, ‘You get s**t on enough, you begin to notice it stinks around here,' and that's where we're at,” she told the Salon magazine.

She added that if AI “can rip that off without the proper barricades for consent and compensation”, the way the performers act, behave, move and speak, it would be catastrophic for the industry.

Drescher, who has also drawn attention to the ramifications of the subscription model for actors, attempted to negotiate with the industry’s bigwigs, whose attitude she described as disrespectful. Though in vain for the time being.

While Drescher is spearheading the strikes, she is by no means the only one.

The strikes have attracted stars like Michael Imperioli of The Sopranos and the White Lotus 2 as well as the Scottish actor Brian Cox, who portrays Logan Roy in the highly successful “Succession” HBO dramedy.  

“This is a major strike that's happening in the States and we need to support them. We'll be under siege next, we're already under siege, particularly with artificial intelligence, and it's something that has to be stopped and nipped in the bud,” Cox told Sky News.

Known for his use of strong language, he has emphasized that the industry, in the UK specifically, needs greater regulation. He, however, preferred formulating it the Cox-Logan way: “Legislation that says ‘AI f*** off'”.

Cynthia Nixon, who portrays Miranda Hobbs in the iconic Sex and the City show as well as its renewal And Just Like That, has likewise taken to the streets. While she is doubtful that AI can replace writers in particular, she supports the demand of a fair share of the record-breaking profits the studios.

Others like Dwayne Johnson donated a seven-figure sum to SAG-AFTRA. His donation is slated to help 7,000-10,000 members through the union’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program.

What are the major concerns?

When you think of Hollywood and the like, you most likely recall big names like Jennifer Aniston, Cillian Murphy, Brad Pitt, or Angelina Jolie. 

But to make it to the top, you need to start from the bottom. So many wannabe stars begin as background actors. Since they also need to be cast and get paid, many studios would rather have all this hassle avoided. In other words, they’d rather cut costs, by using AI, leaving out of jobs many actors as a result. 

There is also the concern that the studios might “appropriate” your traits.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, claimed that the studios had “proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day’s pay, and their company should own that scan, their image, their likeness, and to be able to use it for rest of eternity, on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation”.

Even though the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which includes Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery, said that this statement was false, the idea still seems scary enough.

Furthermore, AI could leave out of jobs not just the performers, but their entourage too. For example, stylists like Jon Lieckfelt who does Drescher’s hair. He pointed out that “even wardrobe, or special effects makeup, which is a huge specialty. If there aren’t laws created around AI you’re going to see an entire industry crumble, a lot of jobs lost.”