EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of UK actors have been “digitally scanned on set without their informed consent,” according to an open letter from Brit actors union Equity urging progress on artificial intelligence as it returns to the negotiating table with Pact.
Deadline is told the likes of British actors Tamsin Grieg, Alan Davies, Nicola Walker and Wilf Scolding have so far signed the letter, which was published yesterday evening.
“We also have no transparency around how our performances, likeness and personal data are being recorded, stored and processed within the context of the production and beyond,” Equity wrote, in the letter to Pact that has amassed nearly 1,500 signatures.
The letter comes a day before Equity and the producer trade body are due to sit down for yet another round of negotiations on a set of new collective agreements that has been rumbling for around 12 months, with AI safeguards proving quite the sticking point. Equity has been upping the stakes in recent months, with re-elected General Secretary Paul Fleming saying the union is “industrial action ready” if negotiations keep failing while the union threatened court action to the BBC, ITV, Disney and Pact if members rights are breached in the training of AI models.
“We are writing ahead of your negotiation meeting with Equity Officials on 25 June to express concern at the lack of progress on securing AI protections for performers,” wrote Equity in the open letter. “We believe this is unacceptable and urge Pact to prioritise this crucial area affecting our industry and livelihoods.” Pact declined comment.
Using the new U.S. SAG-AFTRA contacts as a partial blueprint, Equity’s claim with Pact is tailored to the implications of generative AI for different categories of actor including dubbing and supporting artists. Equity said it has put forward “a constructive proposal” including “important provisions on AI training, which the union has made clear is a red line in these negotiations.” “We will not accept any deal that does not grant us key protections for the use of our personal data for training AI systems and creating AI-generated performances,” it added today.
The collective agreements being negotiated govern the vast majority of British TV shows and indie movies. Adding to the confusion, the BBC and ITV’s separate agreements with Equity failed to include artificial intelligence safeguards as the broadcasters did not want to include them until the Equity-Pact negotiations are resolved. The broadcasters have insisted that “discussion around AI provisions remains firmly on the table.”
The move comes as the UK government considers legislation that would mean copyright holders must opt-out from having their material used for training generative AI models. A BFI report earlier this month revealed that scripts from more than 130,000 films and TV shows have been used to train such models.
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