An Open Letter to My Fellow WGA Members

The Current MBA is a BIG Step Forward... We can't afford to wait until the next one to influence where this is going.

The war between storytellers and those who profit from our stories is as old as entertainment itself. But AI changes everything about this war.

TL;DR (Because We're All Busy, I Get It) 

• Our union has always represented our interests in the battle between storytellers and those who invest in our stories. 

• AI fundamentally changes this dynamic - it could potentially replace everyone on both sides.  

• While the current MBA creates a strong foundation, we can't wait for the next contract to influence AI's evolution.

• Both sides need to experiment with AI to see how we can improve our work. And we both need complete transparency about our AI use.

• The next 3-5 years will determine the survival of authentic human storytelling, as well as inspire an unprecedented amount of hyperbole.

Why Listen to Me on AI?

First, some context: I currently work with AI teams at Microsoft (see Disclaimer), have been studying online at MIT and Harvard’s CS50 program, and have spent the last several years deeply embedded in how this technology is evolving. I see both its remarkable potential and its existential threats to creative work. 

But I'm also a writer who has spent decades fighting for the primacy of authentic human voices in entertainment.

This unique position, between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, gives me a perspective I feel compelled to share with my fellow guild members.

The View from an Elder's Chair

As a young writer in the 80s, I would glance around the room during crucial strike-vote meetings, paying careful attention to the older writers. A few remembered radio's golden age. Many witnessed television's birth. They'd seen the film industry transformed by global conglomerates.

Those elders taught me something crucial: while the weapons and battlefield might change, the war remained constant. (“Those bastards at RKO! Shameful!”) We always had money people on one side, storytellers on the other, fighting over the spoils of entertainment.

Even in the 80s, as we fought for our share of cable TV money and videotape revenues (DVDs weren't even a blip then), the fundamental dynamic held true.

Now, I find myself an elder. At nearly 70 during last year's strike – one of our hardest fought – I have one crucial message:

"We are not fighting the same war anymore. AI is different."

Why This Time Really Is Different

Let me acknowledge the counter-argument many of you are probably thinking: "Every new technology has been predicted to end human creativity. Television was supposed to kill movies. VCRs would destroy the industry. Yet here we are."

You're right – but AI is fundamentally different. Here's why:

Previous technologies changed how stories were delivered. AI could change who (or what) creates them.

This isn't just another tool that allows the money people to maximize profits from storytellers. It's a technology that threatens to replace almost everyone on both sides of the table.

The Nightmare Scenario

Here's the future I fear (and I say this as someone who works with these technologies daily):

— The mass audience is fed a steady diet of entertainment on their devices, all day long, by powerful algorithms  

— These algorithms use audience data to construct new content that maximizes engagement  

— AI mines human culture to find powerful themes and stories, creating new entertainment without writers, actors, or other creatives. 

— Rinse and repeat. 

Some will say this is alarmist. Others will claim it's inevitable. The truth lies somewhere in between – and that's exactly why we need to act now.

The Current MBA is a BIG Step In the Right Direction

The current MBA is available here. I think it establishes some terrific ground rules. 

• We won’t be seeing a screenplay credited to AI. There has to be a human in the loop. For the foreseeable future, we won’t see a feature film credited to the “Alan Smithee” of AI. (Smithee is the recognized pseudonym for Directors who want to remove their name from the credits.)

• If a Company uses AI on a project, they have to tell the writer. I assume that includes notes, drafts, outlines, etc. (or parts)  that might have been generated by AI. This is, for me, the most important thing going forward -- full transparency. (The kind of full transparency we used to get when an exec would say “I haven’t read your script, but I love the coverage.”)

• The current MBA states that a writer can’t be given a screenplay generated by AI and then assigned a “rewriter”, and then paid a lower rate. That’s fine. You have your “human in the loop.” There’s still room for abuse, but this is a necessary step.

• The current MBA says that a writer can choose to use AI when writing -- “if the company consents and provided that the writer follows applicable company policies”. Not sure what that means. Is the Company going to post its policy? Is there a WGA policy? Are you working on that? And does the writer need to tell the Company they’re using AI?

What Now? 

As writers, we must do two things:

• We have to be fully transparent. If we are using AI in any step of our work, we need to tell all parties involved. In fact, I think we need to be open about our processes. For example:  What software are we using, what prompts worked, what revisions did we incorporate, how did we revise our work with AI? What were we “thinking” and what did AI do with our thoughts? 

• Writers need to lead the way. We understand how to tell stories better than anyone. AI is a powerful tool. We need to develop the best practices that use these tools to the utmost and then -- when MBA time rolls around -- ensure that the tools are used in that way. 

The Counter-Arguments

Let me address some objections I expect to hear:

"AI will never capture the human spirit in storytelling."

— Perhaps not, but it might capture enough audience attention to reshape the market.

"We should resist AI entirely."

— Resistance without engagement leaves us no voice in its development.

"This is just fear-mongering."

— As someone working in both worlds, I can tell you: this is real.

The Path Forward

As the saying goes, "The only way out is through."

I believe that the way we use AI will have a profound effect on the companies building the next generations of AI. These companies (Google, Microsoft, Open AI, Anthropic, etc.) are in the business of finding the most effective uses of their products. They will respond to how we use AI. 

This Substack is devoted to exploring how writers, producers and executives can use AI to create better entertainment for the whole world. I want all of us to thrive and create wonderful human stories. I don’t want to see the nightmare happen. 

Your Turn

• How are you currently thinking about AI in your writing process?  

• What guardrails would you want to see around AI use in our work, such as in writers' rooms?  

• What potential benefits of AI for writers should we be fighting to protect?  

Share your thoughts in the comments - especially if you disagree. This conversation will shape our future.

FULL AI DISCLOSURE

I wrote the first and second drafts of this open letter myself. I almost ALWAYS write the first couple of drafts, until I know that what I’m writing is what I intend to say. (Or sometimes, as Nora Ephron used to say “I write to find out what I’m thinking about something…” )

After I wrote the first drafts, I asked Anthropic’s Claude to review and make suggestions. Claude was able to refer to a project I’ve created that has files with best practices for Substack as well as other posts I’ve written. That’s how I’m training Claude to be my assistant. (More about that in “Experiments.”) Claude suggested the “counter arguments” and the subheads. It also broke down a lot of my thinking into bullet points, and I didn’t use any of those. 

I indulged in a very meta exercise in AI writing with the post

For a longer take on writing Substack Posts with AI, see “COnfronting our fears (ETC)... 

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