Netflix lists $900,000 AI job amid SAG-AFTRA strike for protections against ‘scary’ technology

Netflix is going through criticism for itemizing a man-made intelligence (AI) product supervisor position price an upwards wage of $900,000 (£698,900) amid the continued actors’ and writers’ strike.

Hollywood has been successfully shut down since 14 July, when the Display Actors Guild of America – American Federation of Tv and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined its fellow screenwriters’ union, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), within the battle for elevated base pay, larger streaming residuals and assurances that their work received’t get replaced by AI.

The latter level has been a chief concern amongst a number of high-profile actors, together with Succession star Brian Cox who raged against the “scary” technology final week throughout a solidarity rally in London.

“The wages are one factor, however the worst facet is the entire concept of AI and what AI can do to us,” the 77-year-old Scottish actor mentioned in an impassioned tirade.

Nonetheless, at the same time as fears of AI not solely taking on jobs but in addition actors’ likenesses develop, Netflix seems to stay sturdy in its funding within the technology.

At present, the streaming conglomerate’s job board features a place for a Product Supervisor – Machine Studying Platform. It notes that the general wage vary for this position is “sometimes $300,000 to $900,000”.

The itemizing states that the individual within the place will “acquire suggestions and perceive person wants from ML/AI practitioners and utility engineers throughout Netflix, deriving product necessities and sizing their significance to then prioritise areas of funding”.

Author, actor and comic Rob Delaney (Disaster), who stood alongside Cox on the rally, reacted to the job itemizing, calling it “ghoulish”.

“So $900k/yr per soldier of their godless AI military when that quantity of earnings may qualify thirty-five actors and their households for SAG-AFTRA medical health insurance is simply ghoulish,” the comic, 46, instructed The Intercept.

“Having been poor and wealthy on this enterprise, I can guarantee you there’s sufficient cash to go round; it’s nearly priorities.”

Netflix declined to answer The Unbiased’s request for remark.

Different TV and film actors, corresponding to Matilda little one star Mara Wilson, romcom staple John Cusack and This Is Us’s Mandy Moore, have shared their “appalling” pay tales with a purpose to spotlight the significance of the historic strike.

Hours earlier than the strike motion was ordered on 13 July, Disney CEO Bob Iger criticised the choice, saying it was “very disturbing to me”.

“That is the worst time on the planet so as to add to that disruption,” he mentioned, including: “There’s a degree of expectation that they’ve that’s simply not sensible.”

Breaking Dangerous’s Bryan Cranston is the newest to answer Iger’s message.

The 67-year-old actor mentioned on Tuesday (25 July) from the entrance traces of New York’s “Rock the Metropolis for a Honest Contract” rally: “I do know, sir, that you just look [at] issues via a special lens. We don’t count on you to grasp who we’re. However we ask you to listen to us, and past that to take heed to us after we let you know we is not going to be having our jobs taken away and given to robots.”

“We is not going to have you ever take away our proper to work and earn a good residing. And lastly, and most significantly, we is not going to let you take away our dignity! We’re union via and thru, all the best way to the top!”