After almost five months, the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) strike against Hollywood has ended. WGA and Hollywood came to an agreement that includes higher employee wages and limitations in the ways artificial intelligence (AI) can be employed.

AI has been at the forefront of the moviemaking conversation for the past few months, and for good reason. TV and movie writers are concerned with how the technology might take away their jobs or otherwise cheapen the quality of TV scripts. Ryan Faughnder writes for the Los Angeles Times,

The new WGA contract includes language that regulates the studio’s use of AI but also provides flexibility to the guild’s members. Companies must disclose to writers if any material given to a writer has been generated by AI or incorporates AI-generated material, according to the guild’s document.

The use of artificial intelligence has become a fraught topic in the entertainment industry, with studios finding ways to make the development and production process more efficient. The rapid rise of ChatGPT and other examples of generative AI technology has taken center stage for writers who believe such “efficiencies” threaten screenwriter employment. This was among the final and most difficult deal points to hammer out. Neither side wants to lock itself into contract language that would backfire in three years.

-Ryan Faughnder, More pay, streaming bonuses, AI limits: Four takeaways from the WGA deal to end the writers’ strike (msn.com)

The strike’s ending is a big win for the WGA and all writers in the industry who have worried for their livelihoods in recent months.