Hollywood Hires AI Specialists Amidst Writer & Actor Strikes

With the Actor and Writer strike, which started back in early May, still going strong even three months later, multiple concerns have been voiced by Hollywood creators, including those related to compensation, streaming, and, of course, the use of generative artificial intelligence by studios to replicate Actors' appearances and voices in order to create performances.

And while Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston warns Disney CEO Bob Iger that actors won't have their jobs "taken away and given to robots," it appears that several major Hollywood studios, including but not limited to Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros., and Sony, have been actively seeking candidates for positions related to artificial intelligence, demonstrating the industry's willingness to employ the new generative tech.

For example, Netflix has a $900,000 position for an AI Product Manager, noting that the key responsibilities would be to "define the strategic vision for MLP, objectives, key results, and success metrics," "collect feedback and understand user needs from ML/AI practitioners and application engineers across Netflix," as well as "create programs around user education and support for users of the ML Platform," as reported by The Intercept.

The Hollywood Reporter discovered that Disney is in search of a $180,000 AI-focused R&D Imagineer who would be willing to "push the limits of what AI tools can create and understand the difference between the voice of data and the voice of a designer, writer, or artist." Furthermore, Sony Pictures Entertainment's "Sony AI America" division is currently recruiting an AI Ethics Engineer, offering a base salary of up to $160,000.

Meanwhile, the report also reveals that Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Comcast have various open positions related to AI and ML (Machine Learning). Warner Bros. Discovery, for instance, has several AI and ML job openings, Paramount is looking for a machine learning engineer within its CBS division, and Comcast has numerous AI and ML positions available.

What do you think about studios' disregard for actors' and writers' AI concerns? Will Hollywood and AI go hand in hand in the future? Tell us in the comments!

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