SAG-AFTRA: 10% to 15% of Members Want AI Banned
Union leadership estimates that a small minority of the 160,000-member body seeks to halt artificial intelligence entirely, while most prefer rules for consent and pay.
By Tomas Rahman ·
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the CEO of SAG-AFTRA, stated on Thursday that between 10 percent and 15 percent of the union's 160,000 members want to block the use of artificial intelligence in entertainment.
He made the remark during a panel discussion at the Web Summit in Lisbon. The event brought together union leaders and technology executives to discuss how performers can coexist with generative AI. Crabtree-Ireland acknowledged that some members express anger over the union's refusal to fight a total ban.
The union's position rests on three core principles: consent, control, and compensation. Crabtree-Ireland argued that these elements must be present whenever a person's image or voice is captured and used by digital tools. He noted that the industry reached this consensus after the 2023 strike, where performers highlighted the unique value of human creativity.
He recalled a picket sign from a writer during that strike that read, 'ChatGPT doesn't have childhood trauma.' He used this to illustrate his belief that machines can mimic human output but cannot replicate the emotional spark that drives artistic creation. Most members prefer to use AI for augmentation rather than replacement, according to Crabtree-Ireland.
Dan Neely, co-founder of AI licensing platform Vermillio, joined the discussion to detail how his company detects unauthorized digital replicas. Vermillio ingests content from music labels, studios, and publishers to identify when specific likenesses are used without permission. The platform provides guardrails that define what creators can and cannot do with protected content.
Neely explained that the technology can break down audio files to determine the source of the sound. For example, it might identify a recording as containing 30 percent of one person's voice, 30 percent of another, and 40 percent original audio. He said the company expects greater clarity on these detection metrics within the next 12 months.
Crabtree-Ireland stated that SAG-AFTRA applies a simpler standard. If a digital replica clearly sounds or looks like a specific performer, the union considers it a copy of that person. He pointed to the case of Scarlett Johansson, who threatened legal action against OpenAI after she refused to license her voice. Crabtree-Ireland said OpenAI removed the tool without admitting fault, though he conceded that staying ahead of the technology is difficult.
Neely identified the reliance on existing fame as a major driver of the issue. He observed that creators often attach new projects to well-known names and faces to ensure an audience. This practice increases the frequency of likeness disputes in the current market.
