Tom Cruise had negotiated with studios over AI before SAG-AFTRA strike

Even Tom Cruise could not help SAG-AFTRA in their plea against artificial intelligence. Before the talks between Hollywood's actor's union and TV and film studios failed, the union had enlisted Cruise to lobby on its behalf. 

According to Hollywood Reporter, Cruise joined a negotiation session in June earlier this year to discuss the concerns raised by SAG-AFTRA over the usage of AI which it is alleged will completely replace actors. Cruise had spoken in favour of stunt performers who are also part of SAG-AFTRA’s 160,000 members. The Mission: Impossible star famously performs his own stunts.

On July 14, SAG-AFTRA officially joined the picket line against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade union that represents Hollywood’s biggest movie studios and streaming services. Hollywood’s actors joined with the 11,000 members of the Writer’s Guild of America that have been striking against the AMPTP since May 2023. This is the first time both writers and actors are on strike in 63 years.

While there are several other issues on which the writer's and actors' unions are on strike, one of the major concerns that they have raised is the increasing use of AI in films. 

SAG-AFTRA strike: Mark Ruffalo, Joey King and other stars protest on the picket line - see pics

SAG-AFTRA has argued that studios want to use AI to eliminate acting jobs by scanning and creating digital likenesses of actors in order to use in perpetuity without fair compensation.

In a press conference last week, Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, said actors would be “in trouble” if unions and studios don’t hammer out an AI policy that works for everyone. “We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines,” she said.

The strike guidelines now prohibit members from taking part in any promotional activities, filming, trials, red-carpet appearances, and interviews. 

Interestingly, during the pre-strike negotiations, Cruise urged SAG-AFTRA to allow performers to promote their projects, citing the financial aspects. 

Thanks to the strike guidelines, Cruise can no longer promote his latest film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, which was released in worldwide earlier this month.

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