Fran Drescher, the president of the SAG-AFTRA union, announced the beginning of the strike during a press conference. The disagreement over the use of artificial intelligence has played a major role in this strike, which comes after weeks of failed negotiations with Hollywood studios.
At the heart of the issue is the question of who will have control over the use of digital doppelgängers of actors in film and television. If studios are granted sole control over the rights to an actor’s likeness, they would have the power to use the digital twin in any number of sequels and spin-offs without compensating the original actors.
