Hollywood strikes inflamed by claim AI could do writers’ jobs

Writer Ilana Pena holds her sign on the picket line on the fourth day of the strike by the Writers Guild of America in front of Netflix in Hollywood, California. — AFP

LOS ANGELES: The Hollywood writers’ strike broke out last week over pay, but the refusal of studios like Netflix and Disney to rule out artificial intelligence replacing human scribes in the future has only fuelled anger and fear on the picket lines.

With their rapidly advancing ability to eerily mimic human conversation, AI programs like ChatGPT have spooked many industries recently. The White House this week summoned Big Tech to discuss the potential risks.