How the Writers Guild sunk AI’s ship

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the aftermath of the 148-day Writers Guild of America strike, focusing on the implications for the AI industry and the broader labor movement. It examines how the studios' attempts to use AI to replace writers backfired, leading to a resurgence of union power and a blow to the AI industry's hype-driven narrative.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Writers Guild of America Strike

1. What were the key outcomes of the Writers Guild of America strike?

• The writers conceded virtually nothing and won virtually everything, including gaining access to data on streaming viewership, which had previously been kept secret by the studios.
• The most visible deal-point was the issue of AI, with the writers successfully pushing back against the studios' attempts to use AI to replace them.
• The strike established a playbook for other workers to resist the use of AI to replace them, popping the "hype-balloon" of the AI industry.

2. How did the AI industry benefit from the writers' concerns about AI replacing their jobs?

• The AI industry used the writers' fears about AI replacing their jobs as a form of "criti-hype," where the industry's own claims about the power of AI were repeated as criticism, helping to drive investment and adoption of AI technology.
• The AI industry's "AI Safety" narrative, warning about the risks of advanced AI, was also a form of criti-hype, designed to convince investors and companies to invest in and use AI technology.

3. How did the writers' strike impact the AI industry's plans to replace workers with AI?

• The writers' new deal did not ban the use of AI in the writers' room, but it did ban paying writers less whether or not AI is involved.
• This means the studios cannot use AI to fire writers and replace them with chatbots, removing the studios' main incentive to invest in expensive enterprise AI licenses.
• The writers' strike has established a playbook for other workers to resist the use of AI to replace them, popping the "hype-balloon" of the AI industry.

[02] The Broader Implications of the Writers' Strike

1. How did the writers' strike impact the broader labor movement?

• The writers' strike demonstrated that unions can successfully push back against employers' attempts to replace workers with AI, even in highly unionized industries like Hollywood.
• The strike has inspired a resurgence of union activity across various sectors, from strippers to Starbucks baristas, as workers recognize the power of collective bargaining to protect their jobs.
• The National Labor Relations Board has also instituted a new, zero-tolerance policy for union-busting, further empowering workers.

2. What is the key message about the role of technology in society that the article conveys?

• The article argues that the true message of AI is not about its amazing capabilities, but rather about its potential to shift value from workers to owners.
• The article challenges the idea that there is only one way a technology can be used, emphasizing that the deployment of technology is always up for negotiation and that there are always alternatives.
• The writers' strike has established that workers will not passively accept the use of AI to replace them, and that they have the power to shape how technology is used in the workplace.