Alexandria Rubalcaba thought it would be fun to work as a background actress on the Disney+ series WandaVision during the epidemic. However, when she and scores of other background players were taken to a trailer and ordered to go in front of cameras for face and body scanning, her excitement quickly changed to anxiety. Digital representations of the performers were produced as a consequence of the procedure, which took roughly 15 minutes each process. They were never told how or whether these digital avatars would be utilized on TV, despite the invasive procedure. They were apprehensive and frightened about the possible repercussions of AI completely replacing background actors since, even worse, there was no recompense promised for the use of their appearance in future projects.
The circumstance highlights a key point of dispute in the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike with studios, where the use of artificial intelligence to substitute background performers has emerged as a major issue. The body-scanning requirement surprised background performers, who are not a part of the main cast and often don’t have speaking roles. After the scanning, several studios allegedly offered them one day’s compensation, but there are worries that their digital reproductions may potentially be used indefinitely. Background actresses like Rebecca Safier are concerned about the future and how their scanned data will be used in the entertainment business because of the lack of openness and the fear of being punished for speaking out.
Although the studios insist that the digital copies will only be utilised for the roles that the actors were cast in, the absence of firm guarantees has made background performers more anxious and frustrated. Many fear that body scanning may become more widespread and that as AI technology develops, they may be forced out of the sector. Hollywood background actors’ future is unknown as long as the strike lasts, and the sector has to face the moral and financial repercussions of using AI and digital copies without getting the right permission or payment.
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