AI is again at the center of Hollywood labor negotiations. This time with animators

Artificial intelligence is again at the center of Hollywood labor negotiations, this time between the Animation Guild and studios and streaming companies.

The union — a chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — is seeking protections from generative AI, as well as pay equity and guardrails from subcontracting.

Like the writers and actors strikes of last year and the ongoing video game performer walkout, the 6,000 artists, technicians, writers and production workers say this negotiation is critical to the fate of their industry.

"I am very concerned about AI," said color designer Tiffy Wang. "Animation deserves to remain a viable career."

The union has been negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers since August. The Guild extended its contract with the AMPTP through Nov. 1, and said in a recent statement that "progress has been made on some fronts," but the two sides are still far apart on some issues.

The AMPTP has not responded to requests for comment.

Artificial intelligence in animation

The Animation Guild released a report last month that said its members' top concern was keeping generative AI from replacing union work.

Brandon Jarratt, a technical director at Walt Disney Animation Studios who helped write that report, said animation workers are worried about their work being used to train AI models without their consent.

He said the union's AI task force wants to regulate how AI is used in animation rather than rejecting it wholesale.

"We're generally in favor of things that speed up… computer time or make things faster for computers,” Jarratt said. “As opposed to, you know, speeding up the creative processes that our members engage in to make the work that is so profitable for these studios.”

The Guild's report said the roles most at risk of elimination or consolidation due to artificial intelligence are entry-level positions.

Unsustainable gig work

AI is not the sole concern for animators — they're also worried about their work being outsourced or turned into freelance work.

Dan Salgarolo has been an animation writer for eight years, and in that time he said he's seen the number of full-time writing jobs decrease.

"This is really destroying animation writing as a career, turning it into gig work and increasingly unsustainable gig work," he said.

Salgarolo said that like the Writers Guild last year, he wants staffing minimums in the new contract. Animation workers also told LAist they want protections from studios sending more of their work overseas.

Lew Morton, the executive producer and writer for Beavis and Butt-Head used his own show as an example. He said his team sends sketched story reels, called animatics, to animation companies out of the country who then return rough versions of each episode. Then, unionized animators clean up and perfect that rough draft.

"I am mainly just scared that people think they can save money by outsourcing more than we already do," Morton said. "If they replace all the good animators with just the absolute cheapest people they can find, it's like taking your favorite scene from the Godfather, but instead of Al Pacino and Diane Keaton, it's acted out by like my Uncle Chuck and your accountant."