Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1114369
disruptive technology that will change the way members work. Some of the innovations now emerging will give the creators of tomorrow powerful mechanisms to realize their visions, but they also have the potential to be abused. Since the first use of 3-D computer animation in 1976's Futureworld, the art form evolved to create fully realized digital actors, and the tools are becoming more available to the masses as computer power increases. Digital technology allowed the makers of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to bring back deceased actor Peter Cushing for one more performance — with his estate's approval, of course. But it also allows internet trolls to create fake pornography, known as "deepfakes," with the images of high- profile members. It's not always easy to tell how new inventions will affect society at large, much less the entertainment and media industry, but some emerging technologies certainly have the potential to have an impact — whether that will be for good or ill remains to be seen. Carteris, Executive Vice President Rebecca Damon and other members of the union's leadership attended this year's CES conference (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) to ensure they stay current on upcoming trends and what they could mean for members. Nearly a dozen labor leaders joined Carteris and Damon for a guided tour of the showroom floor and a larger discussion of workplace automation, robotics, AI and human displacement from technological advancement. This was done as a part of Carteris' role as one of six (of 57) international labor presidents chairing a sector research committee as part of the AFL-CIO's Commission on the Future of Work and Unions. The implications of these new tools are impossible to know with certainty, and they can be unsettling. "Technology is a tool — one that has opened up amazing opportunities and allows anyone with a smartphone and an Highlights of CES included: Computers are using machine learning to generate simple news stories and scripts. While computer authors aren't exactly virtual Hemingways yet, they are getting better each year. Autonomous cameras are using artificial intelligence and sensors to do the work of camera operators. Added to drones, they can soar where no cameraman can go. Scanning technologies that instantaneously scan a user's image and allow the image to be replicated and placed in multiple other environments on an iPad with the swipe of a finger. Audio recording software that can create a computer-generated voice that is nearly identical to a given sample of an actual voice. 5G promises high-resolution video with no delay and no latency. That means members' work can be seen and enjoyed more places on more screens, creating more demand for content. internet connection to become a content creator and share her art on a global scale," said Karen Chupka, executive vice president, CES for the Consumer Technology Association. "But, as with any tool, there are bad actors, and the threat of deepfakes is a serious concern. It's critical that we develop technology solutions to counter these threats and make sure that transformative and positive innovations aren't misappropriated and misused by a small group of bad actors." New tech can often be scary, and there is a tendency to want to kill new ideas when they threaten to shake up existing ways of doing things. One example is Sony's introduction of the Betamax video recorder, which landed the electronics giant in court when Universal sued over its concern about copyright infringement. The case made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Sony by a single vote. "It was almost an illegal product. But the irony is, those in Hollywood who were worried about the Betamax were worried about the record button — they didn't want things recorded off the air. But what consumers were really interested in was the play button, which opened up an entire new industry of prerecorded media like tapes and DVDs," said Michael Petricone, the senior vice president of government affairs for the Consumer Technology Association. The trick for SAG-AFTRA is to find a way for members to benefit from the "play button" of new technologies, while protecting them from the potential harm Left, SAG-AFTRA leadership, including President Gabrielle Carteris and EVP Rebecca Damon, tour CES with other labor leaders. Right, an attendee at CES experiences the latest in mixed-reality headsets. DAVID J BABB