UK actors vote to refuse being digitally scanned on set

As it is an indicative ballot, the Equity vote is not binding and does not legally allow members to take industrial action – for that, a statutory ballot is needed.

However, the result proves the strength of feeling among performers who want to protect their AI rights, and have indicated they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set to do so – a form of action short of strike.

Equity is currently negotiating the agreements it holds with Pact, the trade body representing the majority of film and TV production companies in the UK, to set minimum standards for pay, terms, and conditions for performers working in the sector.

The ballot turnout was 75.1%, with eligible voters made up of Equity’s membership working in film and TV – 7,732 actors, stunt performers, and dancers who have worked on a Pact-Equity agreement since they were last negotiated in 2021. It is the first time this whole section of the union’s membership has ever been balloted.

Equity will now write to Pact with the results and demand that it come back to the negotiating table with a better deal on AI. If Pact refuse to enshrine the AI protections the union is seeking in the agreements, Equity will hold a statutory ballot for industrial action.

The vote comes as UK equity members are increasingly concerned about the use of their voice and likeness, including being digitally scanned on set.

In 2023, members of Equity’s sister union, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), went on strike for four months over issues including artificial intelligence protections.

Paul W Fleming, General Secretary of Equity, said: “Artificial intelligence is a generation-defining challenge. And for the first time in a generation, Equity's film and TV members have shown that they are willing to take industrial action.

“The US streamers and Pact need to step away from the brink and respect this show of strength. We need adequate AI protections which build on, not merely replicate, those agreed after the SAG-AFTRA strike in the USA over two years ago.”

Nearly half of the TV workforce is out of work, with thousands struggling to pay bills and a third considering leaving the industry altogether, according to recent research by creative industries union Bectu. Discover more here.