SAG-AFTRA’s use of an AI image to help promote its upcoming Labor Innovation & Technology Summit has drawn the ire of at least one noted artist who believes it took away jobs from humans.
The illustration features a woman looking into the face of an AI robot, which rattled Karla Ortiz, whose credits include Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War. Ortiz pointed out in a tweet that there are “fellow visual unions and locals that are negotiating this coming year. This weakens their efforts.”
The argument is that the illustration takes away the job of a graphic artist and a union model.
A SAG spokesperson wouldn’t comment, but one insider noted that the Adobe stock image was created by human artists using AI tools; it was not AI generated. It was selected by internal designers and an art director. The image remains on the union’s website.
The use of AI was a major part of contract negotiations for both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Both guilds secured guardrails surrounding the uses of AI in their latest contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but actors like Justine Bateman didn’t think the actors union went far enough.
“I think generative AI is one of the worst ideas we’ve ever had in this society,” Bateman told Deadline in November.
The summit planned for Jan. 9-10 in Las Vegas promises to bring “together leaders from across the labor movement, entertainment sector and technology space to discuss what innovation means for the future of workers. The Summit centers working people in conversations about innovation and technology change while focusing on worker advocacy, policies and programs that ensure working people thrive alongside innovation. From information and education to labor-management collaboration and training initiatives, the Summit shines a light on the people driving change and progress.”
