"Protect the Entertainment Industry from AI"... Japanese Entertainers Appeal to Government

Japan Entertainment Workers Association Holds Press Conference to Protect Rights
US Writers Guild Also Demands Protection of Creations from AI

Entertainment industry workers in Japan have expressed growing concerns that their jobs are increasingly threatened by artificial intelligence (AI), urging the government to establish laws and improve the environment to protect their rights. This trend is spreading worldwide, as writers in Hollywood, USA, have also demanded copyright protection from AI as a condition for strike negotiations.

On the 10th, Asahi Shimbun reported on a press conference held on the 8th by the Japan Entertainment Workers Association. They appealed that the possibility of losing jobs due to AI has increased and demanded that the rights of related industries be codified.

Morisaka Megumi, CEO of the Japan Entertainment Workers Association, held a press conference on the 8th demanding the protection of creators' rights from artificial intelligence (AI). (Photo by NHK)

At the conference, an actor participating said, "Filming a movie usually takes a long time, but with AI introduced, it can scan appearances and movements in just a few days and synthesize them regardless of age or gender," adding, "There is an underlying fear that demand will completely disappear if this continues."

An active stuntman also lamented, "If only AI (synthesis) is used because it is dangerous and manpower is reduced, the skills in this field cannot be passed down, and those currently working face a matter of survival," revealing strong concerns about job loss on site.

Koji Fukada, director of the film 'Love Life,' also raised his voice regarding AI technological advances, saying, "In the film industry, actors, staff, and directors all participate as freelancers," and expressed concern that "(with AI development) this instability might accelerate even more."

They are united in their stance that rights protection measures must be institutionalized as soon as possible. Megumi Morisaki, the association’s CEO and an actress, stated at the conference, "We submitted a request to the government demanding the obligation to disclose what data AI uses when generating content and to codify the payment of compensation to creators."

Lawyer Yamato Sato also emphasized in a written statement, "In the future, movies, dramas, songs, and animations may be automatically generated using the likeness and voice of actors without the actors actually performing," and stressed, "It is necessary to legislate and protect the rights related to actors’ appearances, voices, and movements, or to pay creators compensation for data used by AI in generation."

Discussions about AI and copyright continue in the Japanese music industry as well. In March, the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) held an online seminar on AI-generated songs and copyright. At that time, Ryosuke Imai, a composer and producer known as the "hit song maker" for famous entertainers like Namie Amuro, expressed concern, saying, "The gap between humans and AI will inevitably narrow," and "If someone else uses an AI that perfectly imitates the composer, wouldn’t they be able to create the same songs? Depending on the learning speed, they might even be surpassed."

Singer-songwriter Mayu Wakisaka pointed out that the spread of AI changes how artists are treated. He said, "Even if artists work hard to create songs, they might not be properly recognized."

These concerns in the arts are not limited to Japan. Earlier, on the 2nd, the Writers Guild of America, representing over ten thousand writers in Hollywood, USA, went on strike demanding better treatment. Among their negotiation conditions was that "AI must not write scripts or revise and adapt scripts written by writers."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Hitoshi Matsubara, a professor in the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Tokyo, said, "Given the issues with training AI on images without permission, it is natural that creators in other fields are worried," emphasizing, "AI that generates videos or music still has low performance, but in the early stages of development, it definitely needs works created by humans. Development should proceed while persuading copyright holders."

Professor Matsubara also argued that a new form of compensation payment system is necessary. He told Asahi, "When training AI on videos or music, I think a new structure is needed where a certain fee is paid to a public institution and turned into a cultural and artistic promotion fund."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.