Performers in the UK's film and television sectors have delivered a resounding vote against the use of their digital likenesses for artificial intelligence, setting the stage for potential widespread industrial disruption.
Overwhelming Mandate Against AI Scanning
In a powerful demonstration of concern, more than 7,700 actors, stunt performers, and dancers participated in an indicative ballot organised by their union, Equity. The result was staggering, with 99 per cent of voters stating they would refuse to undergo digital scanning for AI purposes.
The ballot, which saw a 75 per cent turnout, involved performers working under the Pact-Equity agreement, the cornerstone contract covering most UK film and TV production. This decisive vote sends an unambiguous message to producers about the strength of feeling on protecting performers' digital rights.
Union Demands Return to Negotiations
Following the vote, Equity has announced it will formally demand that Pact, the trade body representing UK production companies, returns to the negotiating table with a substantially improved proposal on artificial intelligence safeguards.
Equity's general secretary, Paul W Fleming, stated: "Artificial Intelligence is a generation-defining challenge, and for the first time in a generation, Equity's film and TV members have shown that they are willing to take industrial action."
Fleming emphasised the scale of the potential disruption, noting that 90 per cent of UK TV and film is made under these agreements, and over three-quarters of the artists working on them are union members. The union's position is clear: the workforce is prepared to halt production unless their terms are respected and a reversal of declining conditions begins.
The Path to a Potential Strike
While this ballot was indicative, it lays the groundwork for a formal, statutory vote on industrial action if negotiations fail. Equity has stated that if Pact refuses to enshrine the AI protections the union seeks in new agreements, it will hold that statutory ballot, potentially leading to a strike.
The union is calling for AI protections that build upon, not just replicate, those secured by the SAG-AFTRA union in the United States over two years ago. After 18 months of talks leading to a stalemate, Equity is pushing for fresh AI proposals, significant movement on royalties, and a modernised package of terms and conditions.
"The ball is in their court when we return to the table in January," Fleming concluded, addressing Pact and allied producers. The union believes a resolution through negotiation is possible but has made its readiness for a fight unequivocally clear.
