Sean Penn has voiced his support for the Writers Guild of America, whose members are currently engaged in an ongoing battle with Hollywood studios. Speaking at a press conference for his latest film, Black Flies, Penn applauded the writers, and called out exploitative practices embraced by the studios, particularly the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, which he described as “human obscenity.”
“My full support is with the Writers Guild,” Penn said on Friday, per Variety. “There are a lot of new concepts that are being tossed about, including the use of AI. And it just strikes me as human obscenity that there’s been a pushback [from the studios] on that.”
Continuing, Penn made the dynamics of the strike clear. “The first thing we should do in these [strike] conversations is change the [name of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers] and title them how they behave, which is the bankers guild. It’s difficult for so many writers and people in the industry who cannot work.”
AI has been an important issue for many industries as technological advancements have reached new heights — and for writers especially, the threat of a computer erasing or undermining their jobs is scary and increasingly possible. Adam Ruins Everything host Adam Conover even shared a breakdown of the WGA proposals for the new contract, which included a portion devoted to the subject.
In those documents, you can read that the WGA asked for: regulation of AI usage on projects covered by the minimum basic agreement (MBA), rules that AI cannot be used to write or rewrite literary material nor act as source material, and an arrangement in which MBA-covered material cannot be used to train AI. In response, the AMPTP rejected all proposals, and countered by offering “annual meetings to discuss advancements in technology.”
For more information and context on the ongoing strike, check out Consequence’s explanation piece.
Penn stars in the upcoming drama Black Flies, which follows EMTs as they wade through the horrors of medical emergencies in New York. The film debuted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival last Thursday, and received a five-minute standing ovation. In 2022, Penn made headlines for his support of Ukraine, and even said he considered joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
