SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher: AI protection was nearly 'deal breaker' in actors strike

Safeguards against artificial intelligence were among the most contentious issues in settling the historic actors strike that ended Thursday after 118 days, actors union leadership said at a press conference Friday while heralding their strike-ending agreement.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA union chief negotiator, said the battle for actor protection from generative AI and the use of synthetic performers was still being fought "literally the last day, in the final hours of the negotiations."

"That was essential to making it happen," Crabtree-Ireland said of AI protections. Achieving these led to Wednesday's three-year contract agreement between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents eight major studios and streamers.

The SAG-AFTRA national board overwhelmingly approved the tentative deal Friday, which sends the deal out to the union general membership, who will vote to give final ratification within the next 21 days.

Actors strike ends: SAG-AFTRA reaches tentative agreement with studios after historic strike

86% of the SAG-AFTRA national board approved the strike-ending contract

With the strike officially over, SAG-AFTRA President and former "The Nanny" star Fran Drescher declared victory in the James Cagney Boardroom of the union's headquarters, the same location Drescher gave an impassioned speech announcing the decision to strike on July 13.

"We hold in our hands a record-breaking contract," said Drescher. "And I can proudly say: We began this journey as the largest entertainment union in the world and we finish it the most powerful."

Drescher noted pay gains for actors, especially in streaming series, and AI protections were among the biggest achievements in the deal.

"AI was a deal breaker," Drescher said. "If we didn’t get that package, then what are we doing to protect our members?"

Crabtree-Ireland said that 86% of the SAG-AFTRA national board, which includes high-profile members such as Billy Porter, Jennifer Beals, Sean Astin and Sharon Stone, approved the deal. But there were dissenting votes.

"There are things we wanted to get that we were not able to achieve," Crabtree-Ireland said, noting that some members (a specific number was not given) voted against approving the deal.

Friday's press conference was pushed back and then started an hour behind schedule due to delays in the board vote. But Drescher said the hold-up was not a sign of contention on the board.

"There's no pressure with Drescher," she said, smiling from the podium, before adding, "I told them to vote with their heart; this was not political."

Fran Drescher says studios used a delay strategy against union leadership

Drescher said the AMPTP tried to work a delay strategy on the union leadership during the long negotiations.

"From July 14 to Oct. 3, we never heard from the AMPTP," Drescher said. "We said, what are they waiting for, are they trying to smoke us out? Honey, I quit smoking a long time ago. I think they realized they were facing a new kind of leadership."

With Disney CEO Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman Donna Langley often directly taking part in the negotiations, it was arduous work. Drescher said she felt the pressure over the ongoing strike that put the TV and movie business on hold for nearly four months.

But there were moments of laughter during the sometimes fraught negotiations. During one light moment, Drescher was able to appeal directly to Netflix's Sarandos to keep her favorite show on the streaming giant.

"I said to Ted (Sarandos), 'Don't you ever take the 'The Great British Baking Show' off the air!'" said Drescher. "He told me, 'We never will."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SAG-AFTRA: AI issues were near 'deal breaker' in actors strike deal