Even though a new SAG-AFTRA deal has been signed off on by union leadership, select members of the guild don’t plan on voting for it. Amongst those that are planning to vote no on the deal is Inhumans star Eme Ikwuakor, who revealed why he plans on voting against the new deal in an extensive Instagram post on Tuesday.
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“I, like everyone else, want to return to work and find it distressing that union members and other unions have had to endure financial loss and potential damage to their livelihoods during this process,” the actor wrote alongside screenshots of a longer statement. “It should never happen in our industry that we’ve had to sacrifice and fight so hard to protect. My vote against this proposal is a vote of confidence that we can continue the fight, not only for our union but for every union and profession worldwide.”
Streaming residuals and the use of artificial intelligence were two of the biggest sticking points in ongoing negotiations. Shortly after a new deal was agreed upon by SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP, chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland addressed both of the issues.
“We were engaged in a very serious fight with the companies over what was going to happen with respect to the use of generative A.I. to create what we call ‘synthetic fake performers,’” Crabtree-Ireland explained earlier this mnth.. “And what the result of that is that number one, we have a provision that requires the companies to get the consent of performers whose facial features are used as part of the creation of such a synthetic — even if it’s more than one performer, even if it’s only a part of those recognizable facial features. Number two, the companies are obligated to give us notice anytime that they use generative AI to create a synthetic fake performer, so we’ll know about it. And number three, the union has the right to bargain over compensation on behalf of those people, in the event that the companies create any kind of synthetic fake performer.”
He added, So that was the piece that ultimately came together on the very last day on day 118 of the strike. And with that piece added to everything else I mentioned, we feel that there is a robust and comprehensive set of protections for our members against the implementation of A.I. in the industry. It allows the industry to go forward. It does not block A.I., but it makes sure that the rights to consent are protected, the rights to fair compensation, and the rights to employment for protected.”
Marvel’s Inhumans is now streaming on Disney+
