The Hollywood writers strike may finally end

Monday, September 25, 2023:

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It’s Rachel, with Vox’s Future Perfect section. Happy Monday, or if you’re observing Yom Kippur, g'mar chatimah tova. 

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Here’s what we’re all buzzing about today: 

Up first: An end to the writers' strike is in sight! 

In other news: What’s up with AI, the Supreme Court, and Senate bribery 

The Hollywood writers’ strike may finally be ending

Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

The longest writers’ strike in Hollywood history is finally coming to an end. On Sunday, after 146 days of striking, the Writers Guild of America — which represents writers — and Hollywood’s largest studios and production companies announced that a tentative agreement had been reached.

The lowdown: Here’s what we do and do not know about the deal thus far. 

• The WGA was advocating for increased minimum salaries and residuals, better working conditions, and regulation around the use of artificial intelligence in media. The details of the agreement have not been announced yet, but in a statement to members, the WGA called the deal “exceptional.”

• The strike isn’t over yet. While WGA members ceased picketing, they will not return to work until the negotiating committee votes to send the tentative agreement to union leadership, and that leadership authorizes a vote to ratify the contract and end the strike. That process could take a few weeks.

• And actors are still on strike. The actors' guild, SAG-AFTRA, is separate from the WGA and therefore remains on strike until it reaches an agreement with the studios and production companies.  

The stakes: An end to the WGA strike does not mean TV and film production will go back to normal instantly, especially with actors still on strike, though shows that don’t rely on actors, like variety and talk shows, are expected to return relatively quickly. 

“Things aren’t going to be back to normal for a while because the actors are still striking, so any new scripted TV or movies still waiting to be filmed are still on pause,” senior correspondents Alissa Wilkinson and Emily Stewart told me. “Even on completed projects, actors can’t be out and about promoting them, meaning some releases, like of Dune: Part Two, will still be delayed.”

Read Alissa and Emily’s explainer here.

Amazon investing billions in AI start-up Anthropic

Ariel Davis for Vox

Today, Amazon announced it will invest up to $4 billion in AI startup Anthropic. This gives the tech titan a minority stake in the company and gives AWS cloud customers early access to Anthropic developments:

• Anthropic’s founders quit OpenAI to create the “safety-first” startup. The billion-dollar company aims to keep AI from becoming dangerous or used in harmful ways, while also clearly maintaining “gargantuan commercial ambitions,” writes Vox’s Dylan Matthews. [Vox] 

• The new investment means Anthropic will use AWS Trainium and Inferentia chips going forward. Relying on these Amazon chips further integrate the tech giant with the AI startup. In exchange for the investment and integration, Anthropic made a “long-term” commitment to provide AWS customers access to future generations of its models. [TechCrunch] 

• Google, Amazon, and Microsoft announced plans to integrate their AI technology into their other offerings. AI assistants still have a long way to go before they can work independently, but companies are increasingly hoping the technology can smooth their workflows and boost their profits. [Vox]

• A growing number of Democrats are calling for the resignation of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. The New Jersey senator, who has served in the role since 2006, is charged with accepting bribes, using his position to aid Egypt’s authoritarian government, and pressuring federal prosecutors to drop a case against a friend. [The Guardian]
  
  

• The Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that largely revolves around semantics and what the word “and” means. The question is whether a measure regarding prison sentencing is invalid if any of the three conditions are met, or only if all three are met. [AP]
  
  

• Armenian refugees are fleeing the Nagorno-Karabakh region after Azerbaijan claimed the disputed territory. More than 6,500 people have fled thus far, fearing ethnic cleansing by the Azerbaijani government. [BBC]
  
  

• Near-record levels of migrants are reaching the southern border of the US. Approximately 140,000 people have been apprehended by US Border Patrol in September. [CBS News]

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Today’s crossword

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Unexplainable takes listeners to the edge of what we know ... and then keeps going. This Vox podcast explores scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn by diving into the unknown. New episodes drop every Wednesday. 

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