IATSE

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, founded in 1893, represents about 170,000 technicians, artisans and craftspeople — cinematographers’ crews, editors, art directors, costumers, grips and stagehands — across film, television and live events. Its members build what audiences see, which put them directly in generative AI’s path.

The 2024 Basic Agreement

Entering 2024 negotiations in the shadow of the writers’ and actors’ strikes, IATSE leadership framed AI as a central bargaining issue. The Basic Agreement its members ratified that July secured a set of firsts for below-the-line workers: no employee can be required to provide AI prompts in a way that displaces a covered employee; studios must, with limited exceptions, negotiate with the union over any impact AI systems have on workers; AI work assigned to a member is covered union work; members must give written consent before being scanned for machine-learning purposes; and a joint committee funds AI training so crews can reskill. Variety’s summary captured the underlying posture: the deal “clears the way to use artificial intelligence as a tool,” with compensation and consultation attached.

Not everyone was satisfied. Illustrators and matte artists in Art Directors Guild Local 800 — crafts most exposed to image generators — recommended voting no, arguing the displacement language was unenforceable without staffing minimums and that nothing in the contract let members refuse to work with AI. The agreement passed by a wide margin anyway. IATSE has since pushed AI policy beyond the bargaining table, joining broader labor campaigns for state and federal protections alongside allies like SAG-AFTRA.