Putting Workers First: Anticipating the Impact of Generative AI on the Entertainment Industry in India

Earlier this year, the “Studio Ghibli” trend took social media by storm when ChatGPT allowed users to upload their photographs and transform them into the animation style popularised by the renowned Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. One user on X claimed that this ChatGPT update had made art “accessible” to the general public. Others were horrified by the potential copyright infringement and its implications for the future of creativity and creative work.

In the United Kingdom, artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Coldplay, and Dua Lipa are among 400 artists who have signed an open letter stating that the government’s plan to allow AI companies to use copyrighted work without permission is a threat to their livelihood. Stating that “Our work is not yours to give away”, artists have urged the government to protect artists’ copyright. Similarly, in the US, members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike and won protections against the use of AI by studios in 2023.

This project, supported by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), uses participatory foresight methods to explore how Generative AI may transform the entertainment industries in India and its implications for workers in these industries. We will identify potential harms and risks to creative workers and explore how their livelihoods and rights can be safeguarded in the face of technological change. Through this project, we aim to support workers in the entertainment industries in taking collective action to advocate for their rights by anticipating changes ushered in through the adoption of Generative AI in these industries.

But that's not all.

We also want to articulate a positive and forward-looking vision for how creative workers can use these technologies to create new opportunities for self-expression, creativity, livelihood generation and solidarity.

We are assembling a Technology Foresight Group comprising creative workers who use or are impacted by Generative AI technologies in India, along with leading experts from civil society, industry, and public policy.

If you would like to join the TFG, please fill out the form below:

For further details, please email anushka@digitalfutureslab.in