How AI Took Center Stage In The Hollywood Writers’ Strike

After failing to reach a contract resolution with the studio association, more than 11,000 film and television writers remain on strike. Of the many topics under consideration in this year’s Writers Guild of America contract discussions, one nascent technology has fueled dissent among the negotiators: artificial intelligence. Since the last writers’ strike in 2007, widespread consumer adoption of video streaming has exemplified how novel technologies can upheave the entertainment industry. Now, however, the leaders in the streaming space are dealing with the ballooning costs of high-output, high-quality content. “Today, the only one we know of that is cashflow positive is Netflix,“ said Dan Rayburn, a streaming media analyst. “They’ve estimated they’ll be about $3.5 billion of free cash flow this year. Every other company out there, if you think about it, is losing money. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, losing billions and billions and billions of dollars a ye