As Striking writers gathered outside Netflix’s Manhattan headquarters on Wednesday afternoonHe was greeted by a visitor in what could be considered enemy territory: U.S. Rep. ro khannaA Democratic Congressman whose 17th district is located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley.
Here as an aide, Khanna gave a rousing speech through a bullhorn to the protesters as their protest entered its second day. wga strike. “Many of us in Congress will stand with you in your just fight,” he said to thunderous applause.
Earlier, Khanna spoke with Deadline about the disruptions caused by technologies such as streaming and artificial intelligence that have emerged from computational labs in his home district.
“Writers are the heart and soul of the entertainment that we see,” he said, adding that the models for compensating them “have changed in my district in Silicon Valley because of technology.
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“And that means writers need to be paid fairly in the new streaming model,” Khanna said, “and they need a seat at the table to figure out how AI is going to work. And it Given that I represent Silicon Valley that is producing this technology change, I want to stand in solidarity with the authors.
Connected: Deadline’s Full Strike Coverage
AI platforms are increasingly capable of spitting out screenplays, pop songs and videos – or simulations of them, depending on one’s point of view – with only some users prompting in ways that unnerve the striking writers. Management is AI One of the issues in lapsed contract negotiations between writers and studios.
Khanna expressed confidence that the output of AI will never be confused with the great works of civilization, but is not certain that audiences will someday find themselves viewing or reading a culture produced by software.
“ChatGPT is not going to produce small villageKhanna said, referencing the OpenAI information engine that can churn out conversations, essays and more in seconds with just a single gesture. “And it’s not going to produce Yeats. Great writing still requires the human imagination, the human capacity to suffer, the human capacity to understand historical context.
“What would it mean for society to rely solely on AI, the thickening of thinking, the cheapening of art,” he said. “And that would be sad for us as a civilization. That’s why we need writers with the best thinking, the best art. They contribute to humanity. And it’s naïve to think that AI can replicate it in those ways.” Maybe whom we want to celebrate.
Striking writers staged a sit-in for the second day in New York after protesting outside Mayur’s Newfronts presentation the day before. The WGA plans to picket the Broadway stages in Brooklyn and Silvercup Studios in Queens on pre-Thursday.