Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1505029
Fall 2023 – LOCAL695.COM 25 #7. Political and Legislative Advocacy The union will continue to pursue its Federal Issue Agenda, focusing on strong copyright and intellectual property laws and labor protections. This will include lobbying efforts to ensure workers making use of AI are appropriately compensated for their work, that people are prioritized over machines in the creative process, that intellectual property owners are protected from theft, and to prevent legal loopholes from being used to exploit individuals, companies, and organizations within the IATSE's scope of influence. #8. Collective Bargaining Is this one really a surprise? It's basically priority one for every union in the world. IATSE is committed to negotiating with employers and fighting for provisions to address the negative aspects for AI in all future contracts. IATSE is committed to demanding transparency from employers with regards to their use of AI, even if government policy does not yet reflect this demand. Lastly, the IATSE is committed to protecting privacy rights and ensuring that AI applications are held to the highest ethical standards, especially when regarding issues of discrimination and fairness. AI scares me. In all the generations in history, we will likely be the first to see two industrial revolutions in a single lifetime. The rise of the internet changed the face of the world. Jobs were created. Jobs were lost. Knowledge was shared like never before. People who had never had the opportunity to be educated suddenly had the opportunity. People who couldn't communicate due to language or distance suddenly could. But we've all seen the dark side of it. Intellectual property theft exploded like never before. Algorithms that prioritize profits over the well-being and mental health of users are everywhere. Media echo chambers that drown out real conversation have led to civil unrest. For every good that the internet has achieved in the last thirty years, there is a corresponding negative to go with it. Artificial intelligence has the potential to do the same thing, but bigger. This is why I applaud the IATSE for stepping up to address these concerns in such a committed manner. The genie of AI might already be out of the bottle, but there is still time to make sure that that is a good thing. #4. Education IATSE members perform some of the most specialized jobs in the world. Many of us have had a direct hand in developing the tools and technologies we use at work. Given that these new tools have the power to reshape many of our crafts as they currently exist, the IATSE is committed to ensuring that members have the right to receive necessary training and retraining opportunities so that their livelihoods may be protected in the face of technological advances. This will be facilitated through the union's Education and Training Department, the IATSE Training Trust Fund, and Local- sponsored training through the Contract Services Skills Training Program. #5. Organizing Although AI and machine learning have the potential to disrupt jobs and displace workers, they undeniably also have the potential to create new jobs, new fields of industry, and new avenues of entertainment. The applications for AI in motion picture and television are obvious, but the possibilities for virtual reality, augmented reality, and yet unimagined artforms are endless. As new fields of work emerge, the IATSE is committed to organizing workers under union contracts to ensure that technology does not replace human interests as the priority in our industry. #6. Maintain Workers' Rights, Members' Job Security, and Union Jurisdiction Employees who utilize AI tools deserve the same rights and protections as those who do not. It is crucial that the introduction of new technology does not serve as a pretext for undermining the hard-won advancements in working conditions that unions have tirelessly fought for over the course of many decades. Nor should it serve as a means to bypass the role of unions altogether. The union remains steadfast in its commitment to advocating for the job security of its members in the face of artificial intelligence.