The WGAE petition calls on employers to introduce AI protections for journalists

The Writers Guild of America East is calling on employers to ensure journalists have protections as AI technology advances.

The petition, signed by more than 1,000 members, calls for “immediate, good faith negotiations on AI,” including outside of scheduled contract negotiations, as well as “an assurance that AI protections will be on the table in future negotiations.” “

The petition also calls on employers to “publicly commit to never replacing a human worker with an AI tool,” something that caused great concern to journalists and film and television writers during their recent strike .

President Joe Biden issued an executive order to try to ensure security around AI and restrict the movement of workers. However, the labor provisions are limited to establishing a set of best practices and principles, as further steps to preserve jobs will likely require congressional action.

Writers who signed the petition include members of CBS News, Cooked Media, Frontline, The Intercept, Hearst, HuffPost, iHeartMedia Podcasts, MSNBC, Slate and Vox Media. A number of film and television writers have also signed on, including Robert Carlock, Patricia Cornwell, Tom Fontana, Mary Harron, Soo Hugh, Natasha Lyonne, Julie Martin, Adam McKay, Stephen O’Donnell, Michael Rauch, Diana Son, Jim Taylor and WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen.

Read the petition.

“We recognize that there are ways in which AI can support our work – but we also know that this technology can lead to factual errors, perpetuate racial bias, compromise privacy and undermine the trust of our readers,” the petition reads. “We’ve already seen publications make embarrassing mistakes in distributing AI-generated content, resulting in widespread reputational damage and mistrust among readers.”

The petition also calls on employers to work with journalists before implementing AI tools in the workplace and to ensure that “they are used in an ethical and fair manner.”

Sara David, WGAE vice president of online media, said in a statement: “The implementation of generative AI in journalism poses a direct threat to the jobs of hardworking writers.” In addition to serious concerns that AI will replace union members, its track record of producing biased and discriminatory content is another reason for careful and cooperative regulation. We cannot allow artificial intelligence to cannibalize the hard work of our journalists.”