SAG-AFTRA Endorses Trump Administration’s Innovative AI Policy Framework

President Donald Trump is garnering significant praise for unveiling a new AI policy designed to safeguard “human creativity.”

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), under the leadership of actor Sean Astin, expressed approval for the administration’s National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence. According to The Wrap, the organization applauded the initiative’s emphasis on ensuring America’s AI leadership is coupled with robust protections for human creativity.

“Our members’ performances, voices, and likenesses should not be exploited without their consent; these elements are crafted through human talent and effort, deserving of protection,” the statement emphasized.

SAG-AFTRA also concurred with the framework’s stance that legal disputes regarding unauthorized AI model training on copyrighted materials should be settled by the courts, negating the need for new legislation.

The organization further stated its support for maintaining a thriving free-market licensing environment, alongside SAG-AFTRA’s role in negotiating fair licensing agreements and equitable revenue distribution.

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The union also agreed with the administration that Congress should “pass federal legislation against digital replica abuse while maintaining strong First Amendment safeguards.”

“Individuals need control in a world awash with digital clones, but that control cannot harm the freedom of expression our industry relies upon to entertain and inform the world. Congress should move swiftly to enact the bipartisan NO FAKES Act,” it concluded. 

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has made similar endorsements of the new policy.

“The MPA welcomes the Trump administration’s National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, which encourages our nation’s ongoing leadership in both creativity and innovation,” the Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said in a statement to the outlet last week. 

“Strong copyright protections and innovation are mutually reinforcing and must continue to be in the age of AI.”

The White House recently announced its new AI policy framework. It is a multi-layered plan aimed at doing the following:

• protecting children and empowering parents
• safeguarding and strengthening American communities
• preventing censorship and free speech
• enabling innovation and assuring American AI dominance
• educating Americans and developing an A-I ready workforce

This, along with “respecting intellectual property rights and supporting creators.”

“The creative works and unique identities of American innovators, creators, and publishers must be respected in the age of AI,” the White House release read, something that both SAG-AFTRA and MPA clearly appreciated. 

In 2023, SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) held month-long strikes over pay increases and the issue of AI, with artists demanding their work be protected as studios rushed to embrace AI.