Demand better: Vote YES to protect your AI rights
Equity is holding an indicative industrial action ballot on the issue of AI protections for performers.
As the use of generative AI grows, our members are increasingly concerned their work, voice and likeness are being used without their informed consent. And producers are failing to give them the protections they need.
We have now reached a watershed moment with AI.
Equity is currently in negotiations with the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact) to improve terms and conditions in film and TV. While we’ve made progress in many areas, Pact are refusing to agree to give the protections we’re seeking on AI training.
We have now balloted members working in film and TV on whether they are prepared to refuse digital scanning on set in order to secure adequate AI protections.
Vote yes
We urge eligible members to vote YES. It’s our chance to show film and TV companies how much AI protections mean to performers and that Equity members across the industry are prepared to do what it takes to win them.
The ballot opened 4 December and runs until 18 December.
This indicative ballot gives Equity members an opportunity to send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity.
Paul W Fleming, Equity General Secretary
Who can vote in the ballot?
Around 7,000 Equity members who have worked on a Pact-Equity agreement since they were last negotiated in 2021 are eligible to vote in the ballot. It’s the first time this whole group of members working across film and TV have voted on industrial action, showing the far-reaching impact of AI on performers across the industry.
If you think you should have received an email ballot but haven’t, email us on productions@equity.org.uk
What is an indicative ballot?
An indicative ballot is a non-binding vote which shows the strength of feeling over an issue. If you vote yes, you do not need to refuse to be scanned right now. The question is about whether you would be prepared to take industrial action in the future. If we were to move to industrial action as a next step, we would send a secondary statutory ballot to all eligible members.
Background to Pact negotiations
Equity is currently in negotiations with the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact) – the trade body for independent production and distribution companies. We are trying to determine a new agreement to set minimum pay, terms and conditions for actors, dancers and stunt performers working in film and TV.
Alongside issues such as pay, secondary payments, self-tapes and hair and make up provisions for the global majority, artificial intelligence is a key issue for Equity members.
Members are increasingly concerned about the use of their voice and likeness, including being digitally scanned on set. Equity is fighting for protections for performers based on the principles of explicit consent, transparency of terms, and fair remuneration for usage.
So far, Equity and Pact have made significant progress in negotiations on protecting performers’ rights when it comes to working with digital replicas (digital copies of real performers) and synthetic performers (artificially generated performers).
However, a major section of Equity’s claim remains unaddressed regarding the use of data, such as recorded performances or digital scans, to train AI systems.
Equity is arguing that producers, content owners or any third party should not be using performers' data for this purpose without informed consent.
But Pact has not responded with adequate contractual assurances on this matter.
What you can do to build a strong yes vote
The more votes, the stronger the message.
Vote YES
Post on social media that you’re voting YES
Post a video on social explaining why you’re voting YES
Speak to colleagues on set about why you’re voting YES
Message cast WhatsApp groups (past or present) to encourage others to vote YES
Working in the next fortnight? Invite Equity staff to set
Join the Equity Text Banking team
FAQs
Pact is the UK screen sector trade body for independent production and distribution companies. It stands for the Producers’ Alliance for Cinema and Television.
AI training is the process of creating, developing, adapting or improving AI models. Training data is the information used to teach an AI model how to make predictions, recognize patterns or generate content.
Performers currently do not have transparency from film and television bosses (and the wider AI industry) regarding the use of their performances or biometric data for AI training purposes. We understand that some of the film and television engagers have already developed their own AI models using training datasets that include content featuring performers’ contributions without their informed and explicit consent and without compensation. We believe there should be provisions in our collective agreement that cater for this type of use by producers and engagers.
It is common for performers to have their image, voice and/or likeness digitally captured on set. This process enables production companies to create realistic characters and digital assets that can be used in films and television programmes.
Digital scanning technology of any kind should only be used specifically within the context of specified production. However, members who are being scanned on set do not have transparency around how their personal data is being recorded, stored and processed within the context of the production and beyond. With the development of generative AI, the scope of what VFX can achieve and the displacement effects on performers have exponentially increased.
An indicative ballot is a non-binding vote which shows the strength of feeling over an issue. It indicates members’ support for taking action and can be a crucial lever in negotiations. Getting a strong yes vote in an indicative ballot means it’s likely that a real industrial action ballot will also receive a big yes vote. You can’t take industrial action on the back of an indicative ballot – a separate statutory ballot is required and this would then cover members legally to take industrial action.
Industrial action short of a strike is essentially anything other than stoppages. It could be an overtime ban, work to rule, refusing discreet activities, slowdown (reduced productivity), or wearing campaign t-shirts.
We need to show Pact that there is a huge strength of feeling around this issue in order to move their position. Currently they are refusing to give us the protections that we are seeking. If they believe that members are willing to undertake industrial action in order to secure the protections they need, they are much more likely to engage with us on these issues.
Only current Equity members can vote in this ballot and any future ballots we have, including on the final deal. If you are not an Equity member, we encourage you to join today.
Your ability to win these changes comes from your collective strength. The more members there are, the harder it is for PACT to deny you the changes you need.
The ballot is open to Equity members who have worked on the Pact-Equity Cinema Films Agreement and TV Agreements since it was last negotiated in 2021.
The ballot has to be representative of the current workforce in Film & TV to ensure that any action that follows is enforceable and complies with Trade Union legislation.
Your vote will be treated in confidence and will not be shared
Votes will be collated in aggregate and Equity won’t be tracking how you voted.
Only those who have worked on the Pact-Equity Cinema Films Agreement and TV Agreements since 2021 can participate in the ballot, which means that supporting artists will not be eligible. The concerns around AI and digital scanning are extremely relevant to our supporting artist members. We are seeking similar AI protections, which will be negotiated in 2026 alongside other improvements to the Pact-Equity Supporting Artists Agreement.