Maltese filmmaker tells European Parliament AI is replacing film workers

A Maltese filmmaker has raised concerns at the European Parliament over production companies scanning the likenesses of actors and extras.

In 2023, extras working on Gladiator 2 voiced their concerns after being asked to have their likenesses scanned in a booth filled with cameras. They were also required to sign a release form for Maltese film production company Latina Pictures Limited.

On Thursday, filmmaker Matthew Maggi, co-founder of the Alliance for Practitioners, Artists and Crew for Hollywood Abroad (APACHA), told MEPs on the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee that film studios were using AI technology to reduce the number of workers needed on set.

"They are taking actors' likenesses and scanning them so they can create digital replicas. This is not just happening to actors but also to regular people who are working as extras. It's not fair that they have no control over how their images are used in the future. At least they need to know the conditions they are signing up for," he said.

He pointed out the United States had better laws to protect workers in the sector.

He noted that Malta’s Information and Data Protection Commissioner launched an investigation into concerns surrounding Gladiator 2, but it stalled after determining that the company ultimately controlling the collected data was British and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

"If these companies close down, where does the data go? What are the limits on its use? We've heard of cases of people having their identities stolen," Maggi said. “It’s not right.”

Maggi was invited to speak to the committee by PN MEP Peter Agius, who said the EU must be at the forefront of innovation, but cannot ignore creatives’ rights.

The MEP asked the European Commission to properly investigate the application of GDPR rules and the recently introduced AI Act to employment contracts in the industry.

"It’s pointless having laws that aren’t implemented," he said.