Recently, the world of art was marked by significant events, experiencing both positive and negative developments. Topics such as the end of a major strike in the film industry and robberies of priceless statues, The Phillipian discussed and interviewed Andover students on their opinions about the groundbreaking changes unfolding within the realms of theater, art, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Acting and Politics: WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strike Comes to an End
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 2, 2023 and was joined by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) on July 4, 2023, approaching the record for the longest strike the unions have ever organized. The strike has resulted in a shortage of films and forced studios to shut down. After months, Hollywood and the WGA finally came to an agreement. According to “CNN,” the studio chiefs from Warner Bros., Disney, Netflix, and NBCUniversal met this past Saturday to negotiate solutions for wages, worker protection, and AI related issues for movie and TV writers. “Political Wire” states that the final outcome is a three-year contract to boost pay rates and improve job protection from artificial intelligence for more than 11,000 writers across genres. SAG-AFTRA, however, is still striking, according to “NPR,” though the actors’ union will continue negotiations with major Hollywood studios over the coming weeks.
Beyond just Hollywood, the ramifications of the strikes have impacted consumers all across the nation, disrupting the flow of film content and television entertainment. Moreover, it has sparked conversations about the issue of AI replacing many writers’ and actors’ jobs. Sienna Rodriguez ’26 discussed the negative consequences of the controversial topic.
“I think that there’s no joy or soul behind AI. The work that’s produced from AI doesn’t have the same character that it would from an actual human writer. Also, if you use AI, it’ll put thousands of people out of jobs. Writing is people’s passions, and I don’t think that it should be neglected for a cheaper option,” said Rodriguez.
AI Art: OpenAI Undergoes Legal Trouble
OpenAI, one of the largest companies in the realm of artificial intelligence, has been generating art and written content using technology. The company has been running since 2015 and continues to make advancements in AI.
In a recent development, OpenAI has partnered with ChatGPT to create DALL-E 3, which is said to come out this October. According to “CNET,” DALL-E 3 works similarly to other AI image generators, but distinguishes itself by allowing users to make precise adjustments to the image created. Users can use the ChatGPT function to alter small parts of the image with just a few words. Artist Maggie Qi ’24 shared their experience at Andover when interacting with software like DALL-E 3.
“In my art class, we were actually encouraged to use [older versions of] DALL-E to conceptualize ideas for some of our projects, and also we were encouraged to use ChatGPT to come up with our artist statements to see the difference in what we, personally as artists, would say about it versus what ChatGPT would. So, sometimes I feel it can actually be used as a good resource, but I also totally understand and agree with the fear that AI is simply just using other artists’ work to synthesize them into something that’s ‘their own,’” said Qi.
Like many AI generators, OpenAI has not been without its share of controversy. It has been criticized for stealing work from real artists and authors. In fact, OpenAI is currently being sued by several major authors. According to “CNBC News,” several prominent authors, including John Grisham, Jonathan Franzen, Jodi Picoult, and George R.R. Martin, the writer of “Game of Thrones,” are just a few of the 17 authors suing OpenAI. Organized by the Authors Guild, this group alleges that OpenAI has engaged in the unauthorized use of copyrighted works, which were then generated as “original” responses for OpenAI users. This is not the first time OpenAI has been sued recently, and this particular lawsuit has not yet been resolved.
Theft: 1.5 Million-Dollar Buddha Statue Stolen and Caught on Camera
On September 18, a 250-pound Buddha statue was stolen from the Barakat Gallery in Los Angeles. The bronze artifact dates back to the Edo period, and is said to be worth around 1.5 million dollars. According to the New York Post, this ancient Japanese statue was situated in the backyard of the Gallery until a thief broke into the Gallery by force, dragged the statue out on a dolly, and escaped in a moving truck. The entire robbery was caught on the Gallery’s security cameras. The thief has yet to be caught, but questions about how the statue would sell are being raised. The sheer size of the statue would make it impossible to sell at some sort of pawn shop or market. Paul Henderson, the Gallery Director, speculates that the robbery was orchestrated by someone who understood the value of the piece, as the break-in was clean, and only one item was stolen. For now, the police are still working to uncover more of the security footage, and Henderson hopes this relic can be recovered before any significant damage is done.
Education: Hundreds of Students Affected After the Art Institutes Shut Down
On September 22, the Art Institutes, a collection of private colleges for art and design, revealed to their remaining eight campuses that they would close permanently in just over a week. This decision meant that around 1,700 students will be affected in the process. According to “Artnet News,” the Art Institutes have been struggling to operate as normal after the disruptive effect that the Covid-19 pandemic had on education. However, this recent instability is not unfamiliar to the Art Institutes, as they previously experienced severe financial instability from 2015 to 2019 which caused many of their former campuses to close. While the colleges currently claim to provide resources for students, it leaves the question over whether other institutes will accept their already-earned credits. The future of the students and faculty at the Art Institutes remains unclear.
