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Actors including Brian Cox, Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis have told Sky News of their fears about AI as they rallied in support of the Hollywood strike.

Dozens of British stars turned out to London’s Leicester Square on Friday for the demonstration, which was organised by British acting union Equity in solidarity with performers in the US.

It comes after 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA in the US walked out last week in protest over pay and conditions – including concerns over the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry.

The action has brought Hollywood to a virtual standstill, forcing many film and TV productions to shut down, and marks the first time in more than 60 years that both actors and writers have gone on strike.

Members of the Writers Guild of America union launched a separate walkout two months ago.

Equity actors cannot legally take part in the strikes in the UK – but can if they are working in the US and are also SAG-AFTRA members. However, the walkouts have already had a knock-on effect on productions in Britain.

Succession star Brian Cox said the issues involved were of concern for performers around the world.

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He told Sky News: “This is a major strike that’s happening in the States and we need to support them.

“We’ll be under siege next, we’re already under siege, particularly with artificial intelligence, and it’s something that has to be stopped and nipped in the bud.”

The crowd during a protest by members of the British actors union Equity in Leicester Square, London, in solidarity with striking Hollywood members of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra). Picture date: Friday July 21, 2023.
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The crowd in Leicester Square, London

Mr Cox also called for greater regulation of the industry in the UK – or as he put it: “Legislation that says ‘AI f*** off'”.

The Crown star Imelda Staunton said pay was also a major issue for struggling performers in the industry, but said technological advancements had added to anxiety across the profession.

“The issues that are being raised about streaming and AI are all issues that really need addressing.

“This is a global problem, this isn’t America or England, it’s all over,” she told Sky News.

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Succession star Brian Cox says Hollywood strike could last until end of 2023

Other stars at the rally included Rob Delaney, Jim Carter, Naomie Harris and Penelope Wilton.

Some protesters carried signs reading: “Leave AI to Sci-fi,” “Write to Strike” and “This Barbie’s last residual was $0.02”.

Shaun of the Dead writer and star Simon Pegg, who is a member of both SAG-AFTRA and Equity, described the industrial action as a “tipping point” after years of concern over pay and the impact of streaming services such as Netflix.

Actor Andy Serkis poses for a picture as he joins demonstrators at the Equity rally in Leicester Square, in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strikes, London, Britain, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
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Actor Andy Serkis said he was hopeful the strike would end in victory for workers

He told Sky News: “AI is worrying too, because we’re looking at being replaced in some ways.

“And they want to scan the faces of background artists and then use their image in perpetuity, which is incredibly unreasonable, because they could use them for anything.

“We have to be compensated and we have to have some say in how it’s used.

“I don’t want to turn up in an advert for something I disagree with, some fossil fuel company, because I’m fundamentally opposed to them. I want to be able to hang on to my image, and voice, and know where it’s going.”

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Uncharted territory for Hollywood

Hayley Atwell, who stars in the new release Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, said the industry needed a “course correct” as bosses had failed to keep up with rapid technological advancements.

“We have the existential threat of AI taking human jobs, that means that it’s a more precarious situation than ever before,” she told Sky News.

“This is a time to adapt to that and regulate it, so that people who are creating content can continue to do so and make a fair living wage from it.”

She added: “We’re striking and it’s absolutely the right thing to do. I’m 100% in support of it. [But] it’s awful because it’s a last resort for everyone. We don’t want to strike but we’ve been stonewalled.”

Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, who described himself as “one of the most scanned actors on the planet”, said he was hopeful strikers in the US – and actors across the world – would eventually win their fight.

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Zoe Saldana backs actors’ strike

He told Sky News: “I think there’s unquestionably going to be a victory for SAG, for the Writer’s Guild, for Equity, it’s going to come out positive. They are going to hold on this time.”

Serkis also said he had grave concerns over the future of AI, adding: “Artists are becoming severely undervalued. We think actors going on strike is a bit of a joke, [but] when the pandemic was happening, what was everyone doing for two years inside? They were watching shows…

“It’s a very important job. It’s a service and you just want to be paid a reasonable wage.”

Industry body the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major film and TV studios in the US, says it has offered better terms and conditions, while it also accused SAG-AFTRA of walking away from negotiations.

The union has rejected the claims and said its members would remain on strike indefinitely until concessions were made.

The impasse has prompted fears the dispute could drag on and delay the release of major films and TV programmes later this year, while also causing disruption to major industry events such as the 75th Emmy TV awards, which is scheduled to be held in September.

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The Godfather-style gang war gripping two major cities – with brutal attacks caught on camera

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The Godfather-style gang war gripping two major cities - with brutal attacks caught on camera

It’s like The Godfather, one reformed drug trafficker tells me.

The mythical gangster film centred on an organised crime dynasty locked in a transfer of power.

Communities in Scotland currently have a front row seat to a new war of violence, torture, and taunts as feuding drug lords and notorious families grapple for control of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

There have been more than a dozen brutal attacks over the past six weeks – ranging from fire bombings to attacks on children and gun violence.

A firebomb attack in Scotland
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A firebomb attack in Scotland

Victims left for dead, businesses up in flames

Gangsters have filmed themselves setting fire to buildings and homes connected to the associates and relatives of their bitter rivals.

The main aim, they boast, is to “exterminate” the opposition.

The taunting footage, accompanied by the song Keep On Running by The Spencer Davis Group, has been plastered over social media as part of a deliberate game of goading.

A 12-year-old boy and 72-year-old woman were left for dead when teenagers wearing balaclavas burst into a home in north Glasgow.

Garages and businesses have gone up in flames. Shots were fired at an Edinburgh house.

Signals are being sent of who wants control of Scotland’s dark criminal underworld.

A firebomb attack in Scotland that saw a man through an incendiary device through a building window
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A firebomb attack that saw a man throw an incendiary device through a building window

A house after it was set on fire by two individuals in Glasgow
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The fire attack set to the song Keep On Running by The Spencer Davis Group

What’s caused the gang war?

The former director of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, Graeme Pearson, explains how a “vacuum of leadership” is playing a part.

Last October, Glasgow-based cocaine kingpin Jamie Stevenson, known as The Iceman, was jailed after orchestrating a £100m cocaine shipment stashed in banana boxes from South America.

The mob leader was one of Britain’s most wanted, running his business like another on-screen criminal enterprise: The Sopranos.

The 59-year-old fugitive went on the run before eventually being hunted and apprehended by police while out jogging in the Netherlands.

Jamie Stevenson. Pic: Police Scotland
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Jamie Stevenson. Pic: Police Scotland

Pic: Crown Office
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Pic: Crown Office

‘Old scores to settle’

But paranoia was running rife about how this notorious gangster could be brought down. Was there a grass? Was it one of their own?

It further fuelled divisions and forced new alliances to be forged across Scotland’s organised criminal networks.

It wasn’t until The Iceman case came to court that it was revealed an encrypted messaging platform, known as EncroChat, had been infiltrated by law enforcement.

It ultimately led to Stevenson pleading guilty.

Ex-senior drug enforcement officer Mr Pearson told Sky News: “It is a complex picture because you have got people who are in prison who still want to have influence outside and look after what was their business.

“On the outside you’ve got wannabes who are coming forward, and they think this is an opportunity for them, and you have got others have old scores to settle that they could not settle when crime bosses were around.”

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Graham Pearson
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Graeme Pearson

Mr Pearson describes a toxic mix swirling to create outbursts of violence unfolding in Scotland.

He concluded: “All that mixes together – and the greed for the money that comes from drugs, and from the kudos that comes from being a ‘main man’, and you end up with competition, violence, and the kind of incidents we have seen over the past four to six weeks.”

New wave of violence ‘barbaric’

Glasgow man Mark Dempster is a former addict, dealer, and drug smuggler who is now an author and respected counsellor helping people quit drinking and drugs.

He describes the “jostle for power” as not a new concept among Glasgow’s high profile gangland families.

Mark Dempster is a former addict, dealer and drug smuggler who is now an author and respected counsellor
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Mark Dempster

“There is always going to be someone new who wants to control the markets. It is like The Godfather. There is no difference between Scotland, Albania, or India,” he said.

Mr Dempster suggests a shift in tactics in Glasgow and Edinburgh in recent weeks, with 12-year-olds being viciously attacked in the middle of the night.

“It is barbaric. When young people, children, get pulled into the cross fire. It takes it to a different level.

“At least with the old mafiosa they had an unwritten rule that no children, no other family members. You would deal directly with the main people that were your opposition.”

Police Scotland is racing to get control of the situation, but declined to speak to Sky News about its ongoing operation.

It has been suggested 100 officers are working on this case, with “arrests imminent”.

But this is at the very sharp end of sophisticated criminal empires where the police are not feared, there are fierce vendettas and, clearly, power is up for grabs.

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Laws may need to be bolstered to crack down on exploitation of child ‘influencers’, senior MP suggests

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Laws may need to be bolstered to crack down on exploitation of child 'influencers', senior MP suggests

Laws may need to be strengthened to crack down on the exploitation of child “influencers”, a senior Labour MP has warned.

Chi Onwurah, chair of the science, technology and innovation committee, said parts of the Online Safety Act – passed in October 2023 – may already be “obsolete or inadequate”.

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Experts have raised concerns that there is a lack of provision in industry laws for children who earn money through brand collaborations on social media when compared to child actors and models.

This has led to some children advertising in their underwear on social media, one expert has claimed.

Those working in more traditional entertainment fields are safeguarded by performance laws, which strictly govern the hours a minor can work, the money they earn and who they are accompanied by.

The Child Influencer Project, which has curated the world’s first industry guidelines for the group, has warned of a “large gap in UK law” which is not sufficiently filled by new online safety legislation.

Official portrait of Chi Onwurah.
Pic: UK Parlimeant
Image:
Official portrait of Chi Onwurah.
Pic: UK Parlimeant

The group’s research found that child influencers could be exposed to as many as 20 different risks of harm, including to dignity, identity, family life, education, and their health and safety.

Ms Onwurah told Sky News there needs to be a “much clearer understanding of the nature of child influencers ‘work’ and the legal and regulatory framework around it”.

She said: “The safety and welfare of children are at the heart of the Online Safety Act and rightly so.

“However, as we know in a number of areas the act may already be obsolete or inadequate due to the lack of foresight and rigour of the last government.”

Victoria Collins, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for science, innovation and technology, agreed that regulations “need to keep pace with the times”, with child influencers on social media “protected in the same way” as child actors or models.

“Liberal Democrats would welcome steps to strengthen the Online Safety Act on this front,” she added.

‘Something has to be done’

MPs warned in 2022 that the government should “urgently address the gap in UK child labour and performance regulation that is leaving child influencers without protection”.

They asked for new laws on working hours and conditions, a mandate for the protection of the child’s earnings, a right to erasure and to bring child labour arrangements under the oversight of local authorities.

However, Dr Francis Rees, the principal investigator for the Child Influencer Project, told Sky News that even after the implementation of the Online Safety Act, “there’s still a lot wanting”.

“Something has to be done to make brands more aware of their own duty of care towards kids in this arena,” she said.

Dr Rees added that achieving performances from children on social media “can involve extremely coercive and disruptive practices”.

“We simply have to do more to protect these children who have very little say or understanding of what is really happening. Most are left without a voice and without a choice.”

What is a child influencer – and how are they at risk?

A child influencer is a person under the age of 18 who makes money through social media, whether that is using their image alone or with their family.

Dr Francis Rees, principal investigator for the Child Influencer Project, explains this is an “escalation” from the sharing of digital images and performances of the child into “some form of commercial gain or brand endorsement”.

She said issues can emerge when young people work with brands – who do not have to comply with standard practise for a child influencer as they would with an in-house production.

Dr Rees explains how, when working with a child model or actor, an advertising agency would have to make sure a performance license is in place, and make sure “everything is in accordance with many layers of legislation and regulation around child protection”.

But, outside of a professional environment, these safeguards are not in place.

She notes that 30-second videos “can take as long as three days to practice and rehearse”.

And, Dr Rees suggests, this can have a strain on the parent-child relationship.

“It’s just not as simple as taking a child on to a set and having them perform to a camera which professionals are involved in.”

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The researcher pointed to one particular instance, in which children were advertising an underwear brand on social media.

She said: “The kids in the company’s own marketing material or their own media campaigns are either pulling up the band of the underwear underneath their clothing, or they’re holding the underwear up while they’re fully clothed.

“But whenever you look at any of the sponsored content produced by families with children – mum, dad, and child are in their underwear.”

Dr Rees said it is “night and day” in terms of how companies are behaving when they have responsibility for the material, versus “the lack of responsibility once they hand it over to parents with kids”.

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Two arrested on suspicion of murder after disappearance of woman in South Wales

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Two arrested on suspicion of murder after disappearance of woman in South Wales

Police investigating the disappearance of a woman in South Wales have arrested two people on suspicion of murder.

Paria Veisi, 37, was last seen around 3pm on Saturday 12 April when she left her workplace in the Canton area of Cardiff.

She was driving her car, a black Mercedes GLC 200, which was later found on Dorchester Avenue in the Penylan area on the evening of Tuesday 15 April.

South Wales Police said it was now treating her disappearance as a murder investigation.

A 41-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman, both known to Ms Veisi, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Powell said he currently had “no proof that Paria is alive”.

The senior investigating officer added: “[Ms Veisi’s] family and friends are extremely concerned that they have not heard from her, which is totally out of character.

“Paria’s family has been informed and we are keeping them updated.

“We have two people in custody, and at this stage we are not looking for anybody else in connection with this investigation.

“Our investigation remains focused on Paria’s movements after she left work in the Canton area on Saturday April 12.

“Extensive CCTV and house-to-house inquiries are being carried out by a team of officers and I am appealing for anybody who has information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to make contact.”

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Ms Veisi is described as having long, curly black hair.

She was last seen wearing a black zip-up gym top over a red top, black trousers and trainers, and was carrying a small handbag.

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