don't let the computer tell you stories
poets and novelists, the WGA's fight is our fight, too
Netflix would love nothing better than to strap you to a permanent feedbag of AI-generated garbage shows. That’s why they’re the holdout in the negotiations with the Writers’ Guild of America, which is on strike as of last night.
Don’t let’s treat that as a scoop, exactly—I’m not an industry insider, I’ve never written for screen big or small—but that’s the word I heard from someone involved. Apparently, all of the other studios are willing to work something out, but Netflix is so happy to produce buckets and buckets of whatever shows overseas, in non-union working conditions, so why would they care?
One of the major sticking points this time around is the use of AI in script production. The WGA is pushing for regulations about its use.: no AI-generated scripts, no AI origninary material, no AI punch-ups. In response, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has proposed “an annual meeting to discuss changes in technology,” which would sound pretty anemic if it wasn’t also super insulting.
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If you’re a writer, this is your fight, too. Even if you’ve got nothing to do with Hollywood. Because the issue here, basically, is that nobody wants to pay writers, even though there would be no fucking material without us. No words for actors to say. No shots, no sets, no Mad Men, no Game of Thrones, no Severance, no nothing. No characters, even! Not even the barest little whisper of an idea or a world. That is, unless you can train an AI to feed on the data characteristics of everything that has come before and spit out some recombined hero’s arc with all the edges sanded off, smooth and sweet and bingeable.
The studios’ holding out is based on the absolute worst kind of cynicism: The pursuit of obscene profit over mere massive profit. Have you ever wondered why flipped houses are so fucking ugly? It’s because the contractor purchased the very cheapest fixtures and Pergo flooring and sconces they could find at Lowe’s, and they didn’t take the time to find something cheap and cool in a reclaimed materials shop, because time is money. And they painted the house black and white because colors—even innocuous neutrals, apparently—are polarizing, and a home with any character might chase away a few potential buyers, which means it might take an extra week to sell, or sell for a few thousand less. Maybe, with all the cheap-ass fake wood and ugly bushed nickel faucets, you only make a few hundred more than you would with a house that you put thought and care into. But hey, it’s a few hundred dollars. That’s the kind of cynicism I’m talking about, and it’s disgusting.
Color is a risk. Original stories with human friction—which sometimes shows itself as unlikable characters, unapologetically poetic moments, or just like, weirdness—are a risk. Untitled Superhero A.I. Project is not a risk, and that’s why these cowards are so hot for it.
Storytelling is a volatile medium because it has as much capacity to numb you out as it has to awaken you. (Plato called writing a pharmakon—a drug—for a very good reason.) The studios know this—they know that you need your comfort shows. They know that people will watch anything. Story has as much capacity to reinforce norms as it has to challenge them. It can be hot buckets-o-content with copious ad breaks, or it can be art.
I’m not saying that something like a novel is all art and zero commerce. There is a way for those worlds to strike a balance, or even collaborate. But here’s the difference: content is profit-optimized. Art is risky and expensive. One will numb you out, the other will make you feel something.
Join a picket line! I haven’t done this yet, but I plan to. Seems like a fun time! If you’re in NYC or LA, you can find a list of locations and times here.
Don’t be a fucking scab. Obviously. (This also means putting a pause on trying to get anything you’re working on optioned.) (I mean, talk to your agent about this one, obviously, but imo this is where we actually have some leverage.)
Consider canceling Netflix. Or all of them! I know, I know, a new season of I Think You Should Leave is coming out soon, but it sure is satisfying to dunk a Netflix subscription in the trash. (Even if it’s only temporary. lol)
Voice your support for the WGA—they have a press kit with statements and social media graphics. (Of course, putting stuff in your own words, passionately, is probably more effective, but still.)
Risk is what makes art. And risk is what it means to be alive. It is courageous, inherently. Don’t let the computer sing you to sleep.