9th Conference of the International Network on Digital Labor (INDL-9)
Geneva (Switzerland)
9-11 Sep 2026
Artificial Intelligence in the movie industry and live entertainment
sciencesconf.org:indl-9:731958
This study (still in progress) has been commissioned by the Di Vittorio Foundation – CGIL in collaboration with SLC, the artists' trade union in CGIL. The main theme is the impact of AI on professions within a sector that has always depended on artistic skill and talent, and where the shift towards a technology that no longer merely replaces routine tasks but also creative activities and authorial duties – until now considered the preserve of human beings – is most evident. The survey is conducted through in-depth interviews with workers' representatives, particularly in areas already transformed by digitalisation and where the impact of AI is most significant: screenplay, casting, dubbing and music production. The main research hypothesis, supported by initial results, is that AI is transforming working conditions in many creative professions, often reducing them to the supervision of products created by technology, with potential negative effects on wages, skills, job roles and access to training. At the same time, there is a growing risk linked to the use of digital data without consent, acknowledgement or attribution – from copyright issues to identity theft – particularly for actors, dubbing artists, singers and musicians whose work is sometimes used, without their knowledge, to train AI systems. The research also examines the risk that AI affects the quality of artistic production, reducing creativity to a computational and quantifiable process. We should ask ourselves to what extent we are willing to delegate creative work to automation, and to reduce the artistic skill of constructing identity and giving meaning to the human condition to the execution of tasks. It may be that AI will democratise artistic activity and allow anyone to produce works, but the risk is that it lowers expectations and deprives us of the value of creativity, mastery and experience. If we delegate to technology not only repetitive work but also creativity and inspiration, we risk losing an essential part of the artistic act and becoming accustomed to film and music production that prioritises quantity over quality. In other words, we may become satisfied with a film or a song that is ‘good enough', as long as it is produced by AI. Through the words of those interviewed, the survey explores these issues and examines the challenges the union faces: defending jobs and skills, safeguarding working conditions and copyright, and reflecting on the quality of artistic production. Crucial to this is the experience of the major strike that paralysed Hollywood in 2023, partly to secure restrictions on the use of AI in scriptwriting.Subject : : Abstract
Topics : Working conditions, occupational safety and health of workers in the human-in-the-loop
Topics : Role of social dialogue in governing AI-mediated work
Keywords : Movie industry ; live entertainment ; working conditions ; copyright ; skills ; creativity ; trade union ; Hollywood strike
