In a fiery assertion at the Cannes Film Festival, actor Sean Penn expressed his support for putting Hollywood writers and condemned studios’ refusal to restrict the use of synthetic intelligence (AI) in scriptwriting as a “human obscenity.”
During a press convention, Penn voiced his issues concerning the rising use of AI in the trade, stating, “There are so much of new ideas which can be being tossed about, you recognize, together with the use of AI. And this simply strikes me as a sort of human obscenity, for there to be any pushback on that from the producers.”
The dispute over AI has been a significant factor resulting in the primary work stoppage by Hollywood’s film and TV writers in 15 years. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been advocating for restrictions on AI in scriptwriting.
However, Hollywood studios, grappling with the challenges of profitability in the streaming period and declining advert revenues, have rejected the idea, suggesting that they’d be keen to debate new applied sciences solely every year, in line with the guild.
Penn expressed empathy for the putting writers and the influence the scenario has on the trade, saying, “It’s troublesome… for therefore many individuals, so many writers, and so many individuals in the trade, to not be capable of work throughout this time. And I assume it is gonna soul-search itself and see which facet toughs it out.”
While Penn’s passionate stance on the AI concern captured consideration, it’s price noting that he’s at the Cannes Film Festival to advertise the competitors film “Black Flies,” a gritty New York City drama about paramedics, in which he stars alongside Tye Sheridan.
Apart from his appearing profession, Penn is famend for his political and social activism. He co-directed “Superpower,” a feature-length profile of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, filmed earlier than and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The documentary premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this yr, showcasing Penn’s dedication to shedding mild on essential world points.
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As the strike continues and tensions rise over the use of AI in scriptwriting, it stays to be seen how the trade will navigate this dispute and discover a decision that satisfies each the writers and the studios.