As the strike by Hollywood actors and writers drags on, the use of artificial intelligence in films and TV shows has taken centre stage.
The Writers Guild of America has been striking since May 2, joined by the Screen Actors Guild on July 14, the first time in 60 years the unions have picketed together.
Actors and writers are striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers over poor working conditions, including pay, creative rights and the looming threat of AI.
Striking over pay is nothing new, but fighting against the encroachment of how AI will be used in future productions is.
“The emergence of AI has been so sudden and has moved so rapidly that it has dominated public discourse, and understandably so,” WGA member Steve Vitolo told The National.
“It’s harder than ever for working-class writers to earn a living and with AI representing an existential threat that could replace livelihoods, these negotiations are more important than ever.”
AI is already used in the entertainment industry in post-production, such as special effects, animation and video editing.
But in this case, workers are concerned about generative AI, which produces original content from data it is fed.
This model, on which programs such as ChatGPT run, can make creative output, such as an image or a script.
Using generative AI could replace scriptwriters, as well as background extras. One of the more dystopian scenarios – a plot that was recently the subject of a Black Mirror episode – is performance cloning.
Studios would pay background actors, like the restaurant waiter or the girl on the street corner, a one-time fee to scan their likeness. That likeness would then be owned by the studio and could be used in perpetuity.
“If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble,” said Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra).
“We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines.”
Writer, director and producer Justine Bateman said: “What if [background artists] make it as an actor later? Then, [a studio] says, 'Whoops, we already own your rights. Congrats on making it, but we’re just gonna put you in a bunch of movies for free'.”
During a rally in Times Square, Sag-Aftra chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said that the proposal did not apply only to background actors, but franchise projects too.
“So any principal performer out there who thought, ‘Oh, wow. I might have a chance to get on a Marvel movie’ … that job could be your last.
“Because they can tell you that if you want that job, you have to agree to give your consent for them to use your digital replica for ever, with no additional consent and no additional compensation.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers denies that is what was in its proposal, saying an actor’s likeness would only be allowed to be used “in the motion picture for which the background actor is employed”.
Sag-Aftra has not yet said what its counter proposal is. But it is clear actors do not want their likenesses to be used by the studios without their permission, input and, importantly, compensation.
There are ways to use AI collaboratively, said Mr Vitolo, who is also the founder of a production app, Scriptation, which allows filmmakers to make notes on scripts.
The tool uses AI to identify and summarise changes between drafts of a script, eliminating the need for users to manually review what has changed, which could save production crews hundreds of hours.
With his app, Mr Vitolo aims to make the lives of industry workers easier, rather than threaten their jobs.
“Our [WGA] membership will not accept a studio executive using AI to write a synopsis of a show, or even a first draft of a screenplay, and then ask a writer to work on it,” he said.
In June, the Directors Guild of America won protection against being replaced by AI tools in a labour contract with producers. Screenwriters and actors are hoping they will be able to negotiate a similar deal.
Aside from the AI issue, industry workers are also campaigning for an increase in minimum pay and higher fees from streaming networks, as giants such as Amazon, Hulu and Netflix have dominated the market in recent years without properly compensating talent.
Screenwriter Kyra Jones revealed that the first residual cheque she received for a broadcast show on which she wrote was for $12,000.
The first residual cheque she received for a streaming show on which she worked was $4.
“The royalties most actors and other industry workers live off have been severely compromised by new technologies, like streaming platforms,” actor Maurice Compte told The National.
“We [have] reached a pivotal moment where we need to make a stand.”
Bringing AI into the entertainment industry needs to be done sensitively and with care, to create an environment where everyone’s job is safe, Compte said.
“The nature of the business is precarious enough as it is without the threat of large conglomerates finding ways to marginalise journeymen actors more than they’ve already been,” he says.
“While I’m sure there’s a peaceful way for new technologies such as AI to coexist in the industry, we need time to integrate it without anyone losing their job.”
Pakistan T20 series squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammed Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin
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HIJRA
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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War 2
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
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Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Turkish Ladies
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
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Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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