Actors are increasingly concerned that Disney is trying to sideline their roles by substituting them with AI-generated likenesses.
The Walt Disney Company has been experimenting with Artificial Intelligence for a while now. Disney is a company that has prided itself on staying ahead of growing technology trends; for years and decades now, they have worked to be at the forefront of storytelling and entertainment. It’s no surprise, then, with the advent of AI, they’ve begun finding ways to incorporate the new and controversial technology into their projects.
Read More: After Thousands of Layoffs, Disney Opens Eleven Jobs for Controversial Positions
Disney Makes Background Actors Undergo Full Body Scans
Recently, outlet Fossbytes revealed that the Walt Disney Company had been having actors from the Disney+ show WandaVision undergo full-body scans, “without clarifying how their digital avatars would be used on screen.”
Actress Alexandria Rubalcaba, 47, explained the kinds of instructions she received. “Have your hands out. Have your hands in. Look this way. Look that way. Let us see your scared face. Let us see your surprised face.”
While this may not raise cause for concern on its own, in light of studios threatening to replace creative jobs with AI, this news has caused further tensions to grow during the current SAG-AFTRA strike.
Actors, Writers, and Creatives Demand Job Security with AI Growing
One of the primary demands during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike has been for Hollywood studios to guarantee job security with the growing use of AI in the film industry. As Fossbytes reported, “studios [are] offering one day’s pay for scans,” due to which “Industry experts and actors fear AI’s cost-saving potential may render background actors obsolete.”
Creatives are asking for better regulation of the rules governing the use of AI.
Many distinguished actors have spoken out about studios need to be more mindful of how they treat their employees, and even Disney CEO Bob Iger has been called out for tasteless remarks he made about the strike.
Currently, the studios have reportedly said they will wait out the strike until writers and actors go broke without necessarily addressing their concerns.
