The Hollywood drama over robodramas

Your afternoon must-read briefing on politics and government in the Golden State

Sep 25, 2023 View in browser   By Alexander Nieves Writers hold signs while picketing in front of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California. | Frederic J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images KEEPING THE ROBOTS AT BAY: Artificial intelligence likely won’t be writing the script of your favorite television show in the near future. That’s a victory not only for the Hollywood writers who’ve been on strike for nearly five months, but for a nationwide labor movement that’s watching the rapidly developing technology with apprehension. We don’t yet know the exact contents of the tentative contract deal struck last night by big production studios and the union representing screenwriters, though it appears the AI language was the final sticking point in negotiations. The AI portion of the contract may end up being just a few paragraphs in a document hundreds of pages long, but its impact is likely to be widespread. Leaders from the largest unions in the nation, including AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers, have for months sounded the alarm on the potential for artificial intelligence to automate jobs that currently support a massive workforce. Labor representatives earlier this month had seats at a private AI forum hosted by Sen. Chuck Shumer and attended by Elon Musk and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a sign of how seriously they’re tracking the technology. Labor unions have long played a role in regulating technological advancements. Auto worker unions since the 1950s have fought to keep employees on assembly lines, even as machines played a larger role in manufacturing vehicles. Hotel and hospitality workers in 2018 won a concession from Marriott that gave Unite Here members the right to negotiate over new technologies as they emerge. The writers contract, if ratified, would represent the most significant agreement directly touching on artificial intelligence. The Writers Guild of America issued a list of demands in March, laying out fears that AI-generated scripts and source material could be used to undermine pay, residuals and credits writers rely on. Hollywood directors secured their own agreement in June, including language promising they wouldn’t be replaced by artificial intelligence. AI fights could play a major role in contract negotiations across a wide range of sectors. The union representing American and Canadian airline pilots worries that new technology could mean plane cockpits could soon only have one human pilot on duty. Unions representing hundreds of journalists, including in large newsrooms like the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, added AI language in proposed contracts this summer. The writers’ contract offers other unions optimism that deals regulating AI can be reached. But those fights still face uphill battles as businesses argue that restricting the technology will stifle innovation. Just last week Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a Teamsters-backed bill requiring a human driver to be onboard in self-driving trucks, a major blow to workers in the trucking industry. HAPPY MONDAY AFTERNOON! Welcome to California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to anieves@politico.com or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open! WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY NEWSOM V. DESANTIS: Following months of negotiations between representatives for Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a date has officially been set for a head-to-head debate. The two governors will face off Nov. 30 in Georgia, the network said today. Fox News anchor Sean Hannity will moderate, as the 90-minute-long show will air during the 9 p.m. ET time slot of his show, “Hannity,” Kierra Frazier reports. “We’ve agreed to the debate — provided there is no cheering section, no hype videos or any of the other crutches DeSantis requested. We want a real debate — not a circus,” Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click told POLITICO. ON THE BEATS BREAKING TRAIL: Summer may be over, but politicians are still thinking of ways to get constituents outdoors. Federal and state officials visited the proposed sites for two new national monuments in California over the weekend and today, showing growing momentum behind the ideas as both the state and the country pursue targets outlined in legislation and executive orders to conserve 30 percent of the land by 2030. One of the proposals would expand Berryessa Snow National Monument in the East Bay and rename the area known as “Walker Ridge” to Condor Ridge, or Molok Luyuk in the Patwin language. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning met with federal, Tribal, state and local officials in the area this weekend. The other proposal would create a brand-new monument called the Chuckwalla National Monument and expand Joshua Tree National Park. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), tribal leaders, and Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot threw their support behind the proposal today in Coachella, Calif. Supporters are backing congressional legislation for the new monuments and lobbying President Joe Biden, who can designate national monuments on his own under the Antiquities Act. — Camille von Kaenel HUNGER STRIKE: Supporters of a bill that would make California the first state to explicitly outlaw caste discrimination are three weeks into a hunger strike intended to put pressure on Newsom to sign the legislation. Several dozen people demonstrated outside the state Capitol this morning, holding up signs and chanting, “Sign SB 403” and “Caste-ism has got to go.” Several people who are part of the The California Coalition for Caste Equity have been fasting for the entire 21 days and demonstrating regularly in Sacramento, with others participating from home. Prem Pariyar, one of the participants, said that some of the hunger strikers are getting weaker and more tired, but that the coalition has doctors on hand to check on their conditions. The coalition says it intends to keep the hunger strike going until Newsom makes a decision. The governor’s office would not comment on whether he will sign the bill. — Eric He WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY OUTED BY AI: A new report warns the use of education technology in schools — often used to block explicit content and flag students at risk of self-harm — poses a civil rights threat to students with disabilities, LGBTQ students and students of color. (LAist) TRIBAL STEWARDSHIP: Tribes are negotiating new collaborative roles in 80 national parks, including the Point Reyes National Seashore, long after being forcibly – and sometimes violently – removed from the land. The shift comes as Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, leads the U.S. Department of the Interior. (The Mercury News)   Follow us on Twitter Katy Murphy @katymurphy POLITICO California @politicoca   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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