The Morning After: Hollywood studios wanted to use AI-generated likenesses of dead actors without permission

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood performers, has reportedly responded to studios' "last, best and final" offer to end the strike, rejecting clauses letting studios re-use AI-created likenesses of high-demand and deceased performers without consent from their estate or families. "They can't have that loophole to exploit performers," a union-side source told The Hollywood Reporter. "We could not allow that language to stand." Reportedly, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) would "secure AI scans" for Schedule F performers -- union members earning more than $32,000 per TV episode or $60,000 per film. Studios would pay once to scan the likenesses of these performers without paying for their use or re-use -- essentially giving them eternal rights to their face after paying once upfront.