In May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) declared a strike. Following this, in July, the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists(SAG-AFTRA) also declared a series of strikes. Why did they declare a strike against Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers(AMPTP)?

The main reason why WGA and SAG-AFTRA declared the strikes was because of AI technology, which is rapidly changing Hollywood's game. There is a fierce debate over whether to let machines and robots dominate Hollywood, the "factory of dreams" of people around the world, or protect the dignity and rights of artists who work in art in traditional ways. The LA TIMES explained that AI is currently rapidly eroding the realm of Hollywood artists, and the strike could continue until clear standards and regulations on AI ethics are established.

Deep Fake technology is one of the examples of AI technology damaging Hollywood. Deep Fake technology refers to a technology in which AI creates new photos or videos with photos and videos of human faces. The faces and voices of actors are contributing to the creation of new creations that the actors themselves take part in through this Deep Fake technology. In addition, the problem of script writing through Generative AI technology is also damaging Hollywood. Scripts for TV, drama, and film, which were previously written by several writers, are made without much effort through Generative AI such as Chat GPT.

Staff members working on films and TV are also in crisis. AI technology is replacing the work of staff such as special makeup, visual and sound effects, and video editing experts, where skills learned for a long time have been important, and there is less and less room for staff.

Strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, which seemed to be a long battle, ended in late September and early November, respectively. SAG-AFTRA's agreement, written at the end of the strike, included a provision to raise the minimum wage for actors and increase their distribution when re-screening movies and dramas on streaming platforms. It also included new rules on AI utilization. In order to use AI for video, the actor's prior consent to appear in the video was required, and fair compensation was received for the digital copy made thereafter. In addition, in the case of writers and producers, AI cannot edit scenarios previously written by writers, and even if writers adapt AI's results, they can be considered original. As a result, WGA gained about 233 million dollars worth of improvements, and SAG-AGTRA gained more than 1 billion dollars worth of contract effects.

The strikes were over, but the changes that have occurred since the creation of OTT still exist in our society. Although the crisis caused by the strike has passed, the damage caused by the competitive structure among OTT companies, the decline in the number of TV series and films, and the reduction of manpower have not been resolved. It is time for a clear alternative to solve the crisis in the film industry.