WGA East Pulls Support From Urbanworld Over New A.I. Film Section
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 28
WGA East Pulls Support From Urbanworld Over New A.I. Film Section
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 28
Summary
Urbanworld founder Stacy Spikes said Tuesday that the 6,000-member Writers Guild of America East withdrew its sponsorship and festival participation after the festival added an A.I. Sidebar.
The new section, announced last month, is meant for directors using generative A.I. and related digital tools; Spikes said a dedicated category was the most transparent way to screen and judge such work.
The guild has been one of Hollywood's most vocal critics of generative A.I., using its #AINeedsHumans campaign to press for transparency and worker protections around authorship, compensation and jobs.
Urbanworld did not disclose the value of the lost support ahead of its Oct. 14 opening, though past sponsors have included HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and the Directors Guild of America.
The clash highlights a wider split in festivals' approach to A.I. filmmaking, with Cannes restricting heavily A.I.-made entries while Tribeca recently screened a film created entirely with A.I.