(Uniglobalunion) New collective agreement sets new standards on transparency, consent and financial compensation for the use of generative AI
UNI affiliate ver.di, Germany and the actors’ union (BFFS) have successfully negotiated a groundbreaking new agreement on the use of generative AI in film productions with the German film producers’ association, Produktionsallianz.
This new collective agreement establishes clear protections for actors when their performances are processed, altered or replaxed by digital replicas using generative AI. . However, it does not apply to conventional AI technologies that have been used to replicate or modify voices or image recordings of filmmakers in post-production.
Key aspects of the agreement include:
- Actors’ consent and transparency: Digital replicas of actors cannot be used without their explicit consent. Produce must ensure full tranparency regarding the use of generative AI on an actor’s performance.
- Fair compensation: Actors will be compensated for AI-generated scenes based on a formula that calculates the equivalent number of shooting days.
- Usage restrictions: AI-generated replicas cannot be used in productions beyond the original project they were created for.
The agreement will come into force on 1 March 2025 and will initially remain in place until 30 June 2026 – with evaulations every six months to keep pace with the rapid development of AI in the film industry.
Trade unions will use this agreement as a basis for negotiations to cover the impact of generative AI on film crews. As a first step, a joint study on the impact on generative on the work behind-the-scenes will be commissioned.
Christoph Schmitz-Dethlefsen, member of ver.di’s national executive board said “Following the initial successes of the US film unions, BFFS and ver.di have together set collective bargaining standards. Even if not all the consequences of the use of AI could addressed, we have achieved significant protections, more co-determination, the obligation for transparency and also financial compensation”.
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