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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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Netflix updated the wording of a contentious and lucrative job posting in the artificial intelligence sector after the listing attracted strong criticism.
Netflix and other entertainment behemoths like Disney have faced backlash after seeking candidates for highly paid positions in artificial intelligence amid an ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in which writers have been picketing for better pay since May. Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined the writers in strike this month, marking the first time in more than 60 years that both unions have staged a walkout.
Amid battling with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for better pay, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are seeking reassurance that artificial intelligence won't replace humans in creative roles. Artificial intelligence has been a massive point of contention in the negotiations, as the AMPTP has refused to rule out its role in content creation. The AMPTP comprises major studios Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Sony and Paramount.
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Some studios have listed lucrative job postings in the artificial intelligence sector as writers and actors—eighty-seven percent of the guild's 170,000-plus performers earn no more than $26,000 a year, according to the guild—demand better pay. One such listing from Netflix advertising a salary of up to $900,000 came to light during the strike.
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The job posting is for a product manager in the machine learning platform sector and described artificial intelligence as "powering innovation in all areas of the business."
The description went on to say that machine learning and artificial intelligence help Netflix "buy and create great content."
"Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence is powering innovation in all areas of business. From helping us buy and create great content, helping members choose the right title for them through personalization, to optimizing our payment processing and other revenue-focused initiatives," the description read.
However, Netflix has since changed the description in regard to artificial intelligence. The updated description is considerably shorter, eliminating the line about content creation and focusing instead on the role of artificial intelligence in Netflix viewer personalization. The updated posting also doesn't include the line about artificial intelligence "powering innovation in all areas of the business."
"Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence is powering innovation, from personalization for members, to optimizing our payment processing and other revenue focused initiatives," the updated post reads.
The job is based out of Netflix's Los Gatos, California, office.
Newsweek reached out to Netflix by email for comment.
Ken Klippenstein, a journalist at online news website The Intercept who first reported on the position, shared before-and-after screenshots of the job posting on Twitter last Thursday.
"Netflix updated their $900,000 AI job posting to remove mention of the AI being used for content creation following my article," Klippenstein tweeted.
The tweet has been viewed more than 259,000 times as 11:30 a.m. ET Monday.
The ongoing strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have sidelined many Hollywood projects, causing popular late-night shows to go off the air. The release dates for countless movies, including the third installment in the Avatar series and a slew of Marvel films, have been delayed.
George R.R. Martin, author of the A Song of Fire and Ice book series that inspired the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, called the strike "the most important of my lifetime" in a blog post written this month. Some of his projects have been sidelined by the strike, although Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon is still shooting.
However, tensions are still taut between the AMPTP, the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA.
In a statement shared with Newsweek, representatives of AMPTP said that the trade association "presented a deal that offered historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, and a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors' digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members.
"A strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life. The Union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry."
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