The most-frequently aired concern when it comes to Hollywood’s current labour strikes seems to be the risk of missing new episodes of our favourite shows. But worker unrest in media and entertainment is an early indicator of the sort of technology-driven business disruption that many other industries will soon face as well.
Actors and writers are striking for lots of reasons — pay, benefits, residuals and the effects of artificial intelligence on their business. But in a core way, the fight is about the value of intangible assets and intellectual property like story ideas or digital images and voices, and the question of how that value should be shared.