AI is a real consideration, but it attracts disproportionate attention.
The real issue is, as always, money. Studios used to get away with paying less for streaming content in its early days. Now that it's very successful it's time to establish real rates.
There's also an argument about "mini rooms", where they hire fewer writers to work on a project. That's also partly an AI thing: they're afraid of the studios getting AI to do the first draft, and then hire (fewer) writers to make it not suck.
A lot of this ultimately cuts to the concept of unions in general. Studios can always get somebody to do mediocre work for cheap. That threat cuts into the earning power of those who can do better work. There is a strike because studios think they can hold out longer than the writers can.
The real issue is, as always, money. Studios used to get away with paying less for streaming content in its early days. Now that it's very successful it's time to establish real rates.
There's also an argument about "mini rooms", where they hire fewer writers to work on a project. That's also partly an AI thing: they're afraid of the studios getting AI to do the first draft, and then hire (fewer) writers to make it not suck.
A lot of this ultimately cuts to the concept of unions in general. Studios can always get somebody to do mediocre work for cheap. That threat cuts into the earning power of those who can do better work. There is a strike because studios think they can hold out longer than the writers can.