Hollywood’s AI doubles need to pay the price + Multinationals are cutting down on office space

Hollywood actors union threatens to strike over compensation for AI doubles: Hollywood’s largest union, SAG-AFTRA, is entering discussions with film studios over how actors are being “remunerated for the work of their digital doubles,” the Financial Times reports. The rise of AI has caused concern in the industry that it could undercut humans and take over jobs from screenwriters and voice performers, depriving actors from control over their likeness, which could set the precedent for impersonations in visual content without their consent, and potentially jeopardize stars’ careers and income.

Half of multinationals look to slash office space as remote work continues: Major multinational companies are planning to downsize their office space by 10-20% and nearly half of the companies are planning to relocate their headquarters within the next three years, as work from home models persist post-covid, the Financial Times reports, citing a Knight Frank survey. As companies work to downsize their physical spaces, concerns are cropping up over the fate of older buildings and less desirable locations, with the commercial property market already facing a downturn due to a high interest rate environment. A study conducted by Savillspredicts that cities like San Francisco and Washington DC will experience an office space surplus in the next decade, while Asian markets will be more constrained, and Europe will fall in the middle.

Not all companies are embracing remote work: BlackRock recently ordered employees to return to the office four days a week, and JPMorgan decided in April that senior staff should work in person full time. Ride-sharing giant Lyft backtracked on its fully remote work policy and announced that employees should return to the office on a part-time basis following a series of layoffs. Smaller firms are also planning to expand their office space. Around one-third of companies opted for mostly in-person work, while 56% have adopted hybrid policies, and 10% of companies plan to remain entirely remote, according to the Knight Frank survey.