During the writer's strike in Hollywood, I was laughing to myself at the absurdity of the union and the demands they were making. To me, this was the most ridiculous situation I have seen.
Bear in mind, I do not blame the union for trying to protect its members. That is what unions do. However, it is a fruitless proposition. At the time, I claimed that, no matter how things turned out, the writers would lose in the end.
While it is too early to tell how the writers are faring, it does appear the situation is becoming clearer for those who do acting work.
Actors are known for their voice roles. This is especially true with the explosion of animation over the past couple decades. Some of the biggest stars lent their voices to projects.
This is coming to an end. No, I am not stating this because the actors are presently on strike. Instead, the reason is the same thing that is going to affect the writers: artificial intelligence.
This is a headline from decrypt where some are evidently upset that video game makers are turning away from paying actors for their voices.
As an alternative, these companies decided the quality of the AI generated voices is good enough for what they seek. This is a preview of things to come.
There is no reason to deal with human actors when computer software will get you what you need at a fraction of the cost. This is how technology works.
On a side note, my regular readers will recall how I discuss deflation. Many think it is a good thing. This is not the case. deflation shows up with people losing their jobs. This is a prime example. It is also why, being in an technological age, the idea of hyperinflation is absurd.
Technology, by its nature, is deflationary. For this reason, jobs are going to be lost. Voice actors are just the tip of the iceberg.
We are going to see the software take over all forms of entertainment. There is no way companies are going to deal with the personalities, quirks, and cost that comes with Hollywood actors. Perhaps some of the biggest names will survive but that is about it. Also, since the movie studios killed the star, this means almost all are going to lose.
In my view, white collar jobs are basically cooked. There is no way that this is going to end well for the workers.
At the core of this is the massive computational power the world has access to. Companies are creating massive networks that can train AI programs in a few months. What was novel back at the beginning of the Summer is now ancient history.
Today, we got the announcement of Gork, the new chatbot that is going on X. It is something that is already a step up from what was out there according to the early responses. Granted, it is an [alpha release with a small pool of invited users. However, this shows the pace which things operate. X.ai wasn't even in the game back in the Spring. They basically went from nothing to a product in 7 months (having all of Twitter's data helped).
How long until the ChatGPT and Bard move to another level? This is only going to accelerate as more companies get into the game.
Just think of all the people who sit at a computer all day tied to the cloud. These people are at risk of having the software replace them.
To me, it is obvious this is where things are heading. It might not be evident at this time but in another couple years, people will realize what is taking place.
Some will applaud the deflationary nature of these events, right up to the point where they are shown the door by their employers. It is, after all, what technology does.
