Hollywood Launches Big Anti AI Campaign

 Entertainment industry writers, actors, musicians, and others have launched the Human Artistry Campaign (HAC) (code name: 'Stealing Isn't Innovative'), which is demanding licensing and opt-out mechanisms for human-created work.

The HAC blasted tech companies for developing generative AI, which is based upon "the mass theft of human creative works to produce tools that could theoretically compete with real creatives." The Campaign debuted with over 700 supporters and an ad in the New York Times.

The HAC comprises a mix of unions representing creators, artists' rights groups, and trade associations, including the Writers Guild of America, the Recording Industry Association, and the NFL Players Association, to name a few. 

As I've written ad nauseam, technology can't be stopped; everyone must adapt to its use and what it brings to society, including entertainment. The entertainment industry elites want to retain their power and control over entertainment creation, but this is a losing battle. AI-generated entertainment will become a large part of what consumers view and interact with. Its creation is much less expensive, more efficient to produce, and, in many cases, superior to the entertainment that is being produced and distributed now.

The Human Artistry Campaign smacks of a movement to preserve the status quo and keep income and profits flowing to the current entertainment gatekeepers. 

By: Jim Lavorato   

'Image' is Everything

 For the Hollywood glitterati, 'image' is everything. Being invited to an awards show and walking the red carpet. Being seen at the right night spots and restaurants. Back-slapping and hob-nobbing with the right crowd.

Now, going to breakfast at the right diner is the latest place to see and be seen - enter Max & Helen's. Owned by Phil Rosenthal, star of the Netflix food show "Somebody Feed Phil," an eight-hour wait line is common. Breakfast is a pilgrimage for the Hollywood set.

The wait-line to get into Max & Helen's is eight hours on weekends and six hours on weekdays. It's the longest wait for a table in LA. However, diners don't wrap around the block; they simply register with the host and are given an accurate return time. You can go view a movie or put in a shift at work before being called to your table - reservations are not accepted. 

With only 40 seats, the diner can't even accommodate Phil's friends or family members on a 'Can you get me in' request. 

The menu is pretty much normal breakfast fare with some lunch and dinner options.  Would I wait eight hours for a call to breakfast? NO. Sorry, Phil, no omelet is worth that long a wait.  

Jim Lavorato