Writers’ Strike

Dixya Poudel

Just as worldwide celebrations of the International Labour’s Day concluded on May 1st, Hollywood writers went on strike the following day. Since May 2, 2023, The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has gone on a strike, as a result of which Hollywood writers have paused their work amid failed contract negotiations, low-pay, unfair streaming regulations and even AI-generated content.

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and it is seen everywhere these days taking the world by storm. In tech industries, it is the brand new buzz. In businesses, finance, healthcare, agriculture, customer service, etc. AI could likely steal jobs from humans. Given that it is humans who have created AI, this scenario is an ironic one. And in Hollywood, which is worth billions of dollars, AI has spurred a controversial reaction. There are many benefits to AI in Hollywood where it is highly lucrative. AI has arrived with its ability to generate unique ideas and storylines at a fast pace and in a more efficient manner than traditional writing.

Further, it is relatively cheaper and can reduce costs. Since it saves resources and time, producers are likely to favour AI writing. Thus, writers are feeling the heat as AI could nab the highly coveted script writing jobs. It isn’t then surprising that traditional writers are enraged as their livelihood and career are at stake. Then there is the matter of writers being underpaid even in the dazzling Hollywood. It could be a result of steep competition, the ongoing economic uncertainty or the fact that movie and TV industry have come to take writers for granted. 

As such, a writer’s strike is like most strikes wherein strikers seek a solution by halting their work. It is a labour action in which writers writing for movies or television stop working to voice their collective demand for better workplace conditions, benefits, and wages. Since writers are the ones who write brilliant scripts, movie and television productions in Hollywood have paused. It isn’t a novel occurrence. There have been writers’ strikes in Hollywood notably in the years 1988, 2007-2008 and 2020. 

However, the novelty of 2023 strike is the emergence of AI as a competitor for script writing, risking future of many traditional writers. When it comes to movies and TV shows, writers have a significant and often pivotal part. They are the ones who decide the nature of plots in movies and series. They build characters out of thin air and make the characters carry out roles in intriguing narratives, dialogues and plots. In returning shows, writers play an important part in creating plots for the upcoming episodes. Thus, the fate of actors, directors and producers falls on script writers. 

However, writers’ strike has shown how underrated they feel due to a lack of adequate pay and the rising competition from AI. Entertainment industries like Hollywood have a lot at stake when it comes to such strikes. It means movie productions are halted, TV shows resort to reruns, and even Late Night Shows cannot produce new content. It could mean productions worth millions of dollars are paused, adversely affecting the flow of funds. For audiences, it could mean lesser TV or theatre time. Either way, writers of Hollywood are now on a strike bringing the high-profile industry nearly to a halt.