As of November 9, 2023, the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strike is officially over. The strike started back on July 14, and after almost four months (118 days) the strike is finally over.

The strike began over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Hollywood actors and SAG-AFTRA members had started this strike to fight for better pay and working conditions, as these things have slowly diminished due to the heavy influence of artificial intelligence and streaming.

Many people also joined in on picketing, which is a form of protest where people gather outside an event’s location. There was an especially huge crowd on September 13, 2023, with thousands of people filling up around two blocks outside the Paramount Pictures lot. Actors and SAG-AFTRA members withheld labor, stopping many upcoming productions. Some popular upcoming movies that were affected are Beetlejuice 2, Deadpool 3, Avatar 3 and 4, and much more. There is no doubt that this strike has had long-lasting effects, and it is evident that people on both sides are glad that it is over.

On November 9, the SAG-AFTRA’s National Board committee approved the SAG-AFTRA AI guideline digital pamphlet; this agreement will come into effect 90 days after its ratification, and was approved by 86% of the board. After the strike officially ended, all the picket locations were shut down. This decision has proven to be very controversial, and many people in the industry are unhappy, with thousands of people saying that AI has destroyed the profession. Unfortunately, there are rarely cases where both parties end up being happy with impactful decisions like these, so it is important to remain optimistic that the conflict was resolved.