Hollywood's Animation Guild, AMPTP reach tentative deal

The Animation Guild (TAG) and Hollywood studios and streamers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year master deal after stumbling over the issue of artificial intelligence.

The Guild, which represents around 5,000 people working in animation, said it reached the deal on Friday (November 22) after months of on-again, off-again talks with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

It is expected that the tentative deal will now go before membership for ratification.

With regard to AI, TAG said its negotiators have settled on provisions whereby the studios and streamers notify and consult prior to use. The exact terms will be key, after the Guild expressed deep concerns about the impact on jobs.

A study commissioned by TAG, Concept Art Association, The Human Artistry Campaign, and The National Cartoonists Society Foundation published in January and called ‘Future Unscripted: The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Entertainment Industry Jobs’ presented a sobering viewpoint.

It said that roughly 21.4% of positions in film, television, and animation “are likely to have a sufficient number of tasks affected to be either consolidated, replaced, or eliminated by GenAI in the U.S. by 2026”. That equates to approximately 118,500 jobs.

The new tentative deal will provide general wage hikes of 7%, 4% and 3.5% in the first three years. There are also provisions for health and pension plan increases, and language that addresses staffing minimums for animation writers.

This story originally appeared on our sister site Screen

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