WGA East's Sam Wheeler on AI and creative work protections

Good evening.

My name is Sam Wheeler, and I'm the executive director of the Writers Guild of America East.

We are a union of more than 7,000 writers and creators working in film, television, broadcast news, nonfiction television, and digital media.

Most of the film and television you watch and much of the news you consume is likely produced by Guild members, either our members or the members of our sibling union, the Writers Guild of America West.

At the outset, I would like to thank Speaker Menon, along with Chair De La Rosa, for convening this whole council hearing on this issue.

Our members are fundamentally storytellers, journalists, and reporters.

They are the people that others turn to to help them understand our increasingly complex and frightening world.

Guild members take that.

Responsibility seriously.

For most, their work is both a craft and a calling.

AI is of significant concern to our members.

It is a key subject in almost every negotiation we have with our employers.

With very limited exceptions, AI is almost always the last point of contention in bargaining.

Making gains almost always requires a strike vote, and we rarely get everything that we need.

In 2023, it took a 148-day strike to win the first AI protections in Hollywood, protections that plainly state that AI cannot be a writer under our contract.

When our members engage in collective activity to address AI, they're fighting not just for themselves, but for their audiences, their readers, and our democracy.

Because we believe that the public wants news written by human journalists.

who can contextualize events, who can verify facts and check that sources are credible, who live in the same physical world as their readers.

They want movies and television shows written by a diverse group of other human beings who can take their real lived experience and turn those experiences into stories that tell universal truths.

We have a fundamental disagreement with the tech industry on this point.

They seem to think that what people want is AI-generated slop, content that is so generic that no one would ever bother asking who conceived of it.

Because even at its best, AI content...

Time's expired.

Thank you so much for your testimony today.

It's an important testimony.

Please submit it for the record.

We're going to call Gary Marcus, who is back on Zoom.

Gary, if you're on, please unmute yourself and begin.

Can you hear me?

You hear me?

Yes, we hear you, Gary.

My name is Gary Marcus.

I'm a scientist, author, and NYU professor emeritus who co-founded an AI startup that was acquired by Uber.

My sub stack, Marcus on AI, has about 120,000 subscribers.

On X, I have about 250,000 followers.

I'm frequently in the media, often described as a leading AI expert and voice of reason.

We stand at a pivotal moment in history.

New York City has a chance to improve our chances, both for itself and the world.

Contemporary AI is like a bull in a china shop, powerful and impressive, but difficult to control.

Already the advocate...

The advent of general purpose agents with broad internet access has led to tens of thousands of hacking incidents.

Other related technologies like deep fakes and chatbots implicated in suicides and even mass murder have caused other problems.

It is clear by now that AI comes with serious risks.

It's also clear that the current administration in DC, deeply tied to the big tech companies, is unwilling to do anything about it.

What we need above all else is an FDA-like regulatory regime for AI in which AI developers bring their software to independent review, much as drug manufacturers bring their new drugs to FDA for review.

AI developers should be obligated to demonstrate that the benefits of their new products outweigh the risks and not have market access otherwise.

I said the same to Louisiana Senator Kennedy in May 2023 at the U.S.

Senate, and it's still true, but the U.S.

Senate did nothing.

New York City is thus in a position to do what the U.S.

Senate failed to do, demand independent regulatory review for AI used in its borders.

The bill on third-party validation proposes to do just that, and it would protect New York citizens from some of the harms of AI and could allow New York to be a global leader, much as California has been a global leader around clean energy standards.

In the strongest possible terms, I urge Council to support this bill.

Finally, events of recent days suggest OpenAI may have fired employees who were whistleblowing.

Without strong protections from whistleblowing, like New York City is considered...

Your time's expired.

Thank you, Mr.

Marcus.

I can take one percent.

I'll just stop.

Please submit the rest of your testimony for our consideration.

And I want to thank this panel again for taking the time for your patience and understanding.

It's been a long day, and we appreciate your testimony today.