Friday, December 05, 2025
Equity Threatens U.K. Actors Strike Over AI
variety.com: U.K. performers union Equity is set to ballot members over potential strike action related to AI protections.
Negotiating partner Pact, the U.K. producers union, has been notified.
“Nobody wants further instability in our industries ahead of what we hope will be a positive year in 2026,”
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4 comments:
Yes! We need more of this! Actual stances to create laws protecting artists from AI. I truly do hope this passes without the need to strike but it is such a worthy cause to do so. The idea of a studio having a full body scan of me that they can just do whatever with is so freaky. You really don't know how well the servers this information is stored on are secured, my biggest fear would be that the files were obtained by the public somehow and used to make my body do things. I need this scummy AI bubble to pop yesterday. For every ensamble or background character edited in with an AI scan, there is a job opportunity lost for another actor as well. I really wish AI was just taking the parts of jobs people hated but it is fully detrimental to the economy how easy it is to outsource labor and skill.
With the speed that AI has taken over the legal and contract systems seem to move so slowly. I hope that this passes without needing to take further action, including at minimum a strike. The only uses of full body scans would and should be limited to studios that use cartoonists or animators to have reference footage of people who have signed a contract that supports and compensates for their role in the production. The only time that footage of people should be used without their full knowledge is when they have explicitly agreed to a limited and specific use related to a production and not for “having on hand” for whatever use the film company intends or doesn’t intend to use it. The government and decision-makers “fretting” over to act is insane. You can’t just use peoples likeness without notifying them that you’ve done it and intend to profit without including them contractually in the work.
This is what I like to see. Seeing people step up and push for limits and protections in terms of AI is always good news. It's extremely necessary due to the capabilities of AI and the fact that currently things are getting worse in terms of it, and will continue to do so if no one steps up. Luckily, it seems we are getting better in the department of people standing up and fighting against it. I just am very glad because a lot of people don’t understand the ramifications of what AI can do and has already done. People have died due to AI, literally. It’s a little-known fact currently, that AI has groomed individuals into doing awful things to both themselves and others. That is but one of the few issues with it, and especially in terms of the art industry, AI poses a major threat. It's good to see people fighting back.
Maybe seeing this headline not even five years ago would evoke a reaction of utter confusion or absurdity. However, this subject is unfortunately very real at this moment, and I applaud the Equity union for taking a stand against AI and protecting actors from being exploited by AI. The scariest part about the whole situation with AI right now isn’t even what exists of it right now. There are still some tell-tale signs to spot AI content on the internet, but it’s the uncertainty of what will become of AI that’s truly terrifying. The least we can do is support the Equity union in their fight for protection of their actors. This story also goes to show the necessity of unions in the entertainment industry. As many entertainment jobs are contractual, having any kind of stable support from a union is imperative. I hope that the UK Equity union is successful in this fight, as it could very well determine the future of entertainment itself.
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