'Black Mirror' episode prefigured Hollywood's AI conflict

Netflix's renowned scifi series Black Mirror, known for its on-target depictions of the future, seems to have predicted the future once more with its new season.

The opening episode of Black Mirror titled Joan Is Awful, depicts a tech company turning a woman's life into a soap opera using deepfake technology. The storyline of that episode bears an uncanny resemblance to the issues plaguing Hollywood actors and writers rights now. 

Amid the ongoing actors strike, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher addressed the dystopian AI proposal put forth by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's chief negotiator, revealed one particularly chilling aspect of the proposal: background actors would be scanned, compensated for a single day's pay, and the studio would gain complete ownership and perpetual usage rights over their digital likenesses, without any consent or further remuneration. 

As Drescher expressed her grievances, the haunting Black Mirror episode and its real-life implications became all the more apparent.

As a result Black Mirror surged in popularity on streaming platforms, emphasizing the disturbing connection between the show's fictional scenarios and the alarming reality.