SAG-AFTRA’s Executive Director Duncan Crabtree Ireland Describes Non-Union Work as “Lesser Quality”

Disclaimer: Important Reminder That The Information and Opinion Provided Here Is That Of The Writer. And be sure to read the opinion article SAG-AFTRA: A Union Run By Hypocrites, in case you’re new to this ongoing issue.

If you’ve been following social media as of late, SAG-AFTRA’S Executive Director Duncan Crabtree Ireland made some comments on their SAG-AFTRA Podcast, discussing their newest A.I. Pact with Narrativ, keep in mind they are currently on strike against the Video Game Industry due to Disagreements over worker protections regarding AI technology but here they are, celebrating and pushing new plans for A.I. the Executive Director Crabtree-Ireland would go on and would describe Non-Union actors potentially domination an acting space as a “Lesser Quality.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking, Did he say, what I think he said? Well, yeah, the Executive Director of a Union who was supposed to represent actors and actresses decided to come off as an egotistical jerk. Do you know who didn’t find it helpful? The actors and actresses. They began to tear into the Executive Director’s statement, it was unfortunate that we couldn’t include the original post (which included the voice actors speaking out against the statement) due to the cowardly lot deleting it hours later, a Twitter user was kind enough to save the video and post it on their account. Thanks to SkylarArtaggat for letting us feature the video in this article and another Twitter user for sending us a screenshot of Duncan getting fact-checked. The Executive Director decided to try again but on his personal Twitter account, it was supposed to be an apology and a call to support the union’s strike, but the apology is a real example of what is “Lesser Quality” even more of speculation from not only actors and actresses but of people who have supported the union that SAG-AFTRA’S effort to get into bed with A.I. is that one of their own is a shareholder in A.I. companies such as Narrativ. You can’t always tear down Non-Union work or performers, that’s where new actors, actresses, and whoever gets their foot in the door in the entertainment industry, not every experience is like what Duncan described in his first clip.

All performers deserve respect. It’s an incredibly hard profession to pursue and the risk takers who create deserve to be acknowledged. All of them. 👏👏👏 #sagaftrastrong pic.twitter.com/4zqGAj3eyZ

— Duncan Crabtree-Ireland (@DuncanCI) August 18, 2024

While Artificial Intelligence has plagued countless industries including Animation, Anime, Art, Entertainment, Manga, Music, and Video Games, people are tired of unions that are supposed to have their backs by helping them get liveable wages, proper protection in the workplace, and to make sure they have Healthcare. Not to mention to protect them from the threat of Artificial Intelligence, something that would cut down the workforce in each industry, including the entertainment industry (Films, Television) by roughly around 90%. No matter how many tone-deaf clips from podcasts you can post, the world is watching and they see a Union being blinded by ways to fill their wallets more than help the people they swore to protect. People, among voice actors asking What was the point of the strike in the first place?

Remember everyone, we must continue to support Actors, Actresses, Artists, Writers, and other Creators in this constant battle over Artificial Intelligence, write to your local congress representative about your concern with the rise of AI. And be sure to speak out, make your voice heard.

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