SAG-AFTRA Strike Highlights AI Threats to Hollywood Background Actors
Background actors express growing concern over artificial intelligence during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Recent productions require extras to undergo 3-D body scans, raising fears that studios aim to replicate their digital likenesses without fair compensation.
SAG-AFTRA background actors voice serious concerns about the use of artificial intelligence as the Hollywood strike continues. These performers worry that studios plan to use AI to create digital replicas of extras, potentially eliminating future job opportunities for human actors in crowd scenes.
One background actor describes a recent experience on the set of "The Flash" where he faces pressure to enter a trailer equipped with hundreds of cameras for a 3-D body scan. The crew informs him that the scan is for continuity and special effects, but warns him that he faces being sent home without pay if he refuses to participate.
This incident highlights exactly why SAG-AFTRA includes AI protections as a central demand in its ongoing contract negotiations. The union fights to establish clear rules and fair compensation guidelines to ensure that studios do not exploit the digital likenesses of background performers without their explicit consent.