Netflix Hiring AI Expert Amid Hollywood Strikes

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Facts

  • Netflix is looking to hire an artificial intelligence (AI) expert at the same time Hollywood’s unions are striking in part over concerns that innovations in AI will impact pay in the entertainment industry.1
  • The job, officially posted as a "product manager-machine learning platform," would earn a salary in the range of $300-900K and would be used in all of Netflix’s business areas, including content creation.2
  • The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May, and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined them this month — the first joint strike in Hollywood since 1960.3
  • The unions have voiced concerns AI could be used to write scripts, reuse actors’ likenesses, and do other things that would allow studios to avoid paying humans for creative work.3
  • Another Netflix job posting seeks a generative AI technical director for its gaming studio for a salary of up to $650K.2
  • In addition, Disney has listed about a half-dozen jobs that are focused on “AI and machine learning,” and Amazon and Apple also are offering positions related to AI and machine learning as part of their media businesses.4

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Business Insider, 3Guardian, and 4New York Post.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Intercept. While actors and writers are fighting to just make a living wage, get health insurance for their families, and earn guarantees the studios won’t use their likenesses in perpetuity without compensation, heartless Hollywood executives are willing to pay nearly $1M for help developing AI that can help eliminate human participation in this industry. This is a sickening move.
  • Narrative B, as provided by TechCrunch. Netflix is both a media company and a tech company — so it must invest in technology to keep up with its competitors. By strengthening its AI research, Netflix is doing what’s necessary, and it’s possible that AI could be used to enhance content rather than replace human contributions. While this may seem unfair to the company's writers and actors, those on strike must accept that AI is here to stay.

Predictions