The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is urging Hollywood studios to take immediate action against the growing issue of AI plagiarism. It’s a call to action that echoes the union’s concerns during the lengthy 2023 writer’s strike.
WGA calls out major studios
The WGA East and West recently sent a letter to CEOs of major studios. They include Netflix, Walt Disney Co., NBCUniversal, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Amazon MGM Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery.
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In the letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the WGA claims that tech companies like Apple and Meta have “looted” the studios’ intellectual property while studios have failed to act against the violations.
“After this industry has spent decades fighting piracy, it cannot stand idly by while tech companies steal full libraries of content for their own financial gain,” the letter states.
AI models trained on copyrighted material
The letter cites a November article in The Atlantic, which reported that thousands of movies and TV episodes were being used to train AI models.
The WGA accuses studios of allowing “tech companies to plunder entire libraries without permission or compensation,” ultimately harming WGA members.
AI’s growing role in Hollywood
Despite the controversy, AI continues to gain traction in Hollywood. In September, Lionsgate—the studio behind franchises like “John Wick” and “Hunger Games”—announced a partnership with the AI video startup Runway. The technology is marketed as a tool to help filmmakers and creative teams generate cinematic visuals.
Legal victories for creatives
However, artists have recently seen progress in their legal battles against AI. In August, a federal court allowed a copyright infringement claim against AI art generators to move forward.
The case, brought by concept artist Karla Ortiz, centers on how AI firms may have used copyrighted materials to train models like Stable Diffusion. The lawsuit could significantly impact the future use of AI in Hollywood.
