Disagreement over the use of artificial intelligence is playing a starring role as US actors began a strike following weeks of failed negotiations with Hollywood studios. At stake is who may retain control over any digital doppelgängers used in film and television. If studios gain sole control over the rights to an actor's likeness, they could potentially use the digital twin in any number of film or television sequels and spin-offs without paying actors …

You know it's bad when the cocreator of The Matrix thinks your artificial intelligence plan stinks. In June, as the Directors Guild of America was about to sign its union contract with Hollywood studios, Lilly Wachowski sent out a series of tweets explaining why she was voting no. The contact's AI clause, which stipulates that generative AI can't be considered a "person" or perform duties normally done by DGA members, didn't go far enough. "We need to change the language to imply that we won't use AI in any department, on any show we work on," Wachowski wrote. "I strongly believe the fight we [are] in right now in our industry is a microcosm of a much larger and critical crisis."