A Call to Action: Advocating for Ethical AI with Jennifer Garner
Follow up email, (June 14th 2024), after receiving no reply:
Email Content:
Happy Friday!
A follow up to my last email for an IMMEDIATE Call to Action: Advocating for Ethical AI with Jennifer Garner
A Call to Action: Advocating for Ethical AI with Jennifer Garner
Thank you for your consideration. I, along with the other 167.98 million people of the American workforce, look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Kevin Bihan-Poudec
Founder Voice For Change Foundation | Advocating for Ethical AI, Workforce Preservation and Human Rights
Original email sent on June 13th 2024 to Jennifer Garner and team of publicists, agents, and managers:
Email Subject: Advocating Together for Ethical AI
Email Content:
Dear Jennifer Garner,
I hope this message finds you well.
My name is Kevin Bihan-Poudec, we’ve attended the same church for a couple of years in the past.
I've been following your work and advocacy efforts with Save The Children with great admiration. I believe you have a unique platform and voice that could significantly impact important discussions on ethical AI.
As you may know, recent promotions by figures like Ashton Kutcher, who is a beta tester for the tool Sora, a text-to-video AI generator, developed by OpenAI, highlight the potential disruptive impact of AI on industries like cinematography and beyond. He recently stated that soon, "You’ll be able to render a whole movie," with current capabilities allowing it to render 10-15 seconds of AI-generated content.
Ashton Says soon “You’ll be able to render a whole movie” using AI: “The bar is going to have to go way up” in Hollywood - Variety
These tools; Sora, Veo by Google and most recently, as of yesterday, “Dream Machine” by Luma, could potentially render about 2,740,000 jobs obsolete, according to my latest data analytics research, across various sectors utilizing video creation, including the movie industry, which accounts for $242 billion in wages circulating through the economy. The main reason these jobs could become obsolete is that the demand for shooting a blockbuster movie with an average budget of $150,000,000 and employing many workers would no longer be cost-efficient for big studios or streaming platforms. This is compared to a tool that could render “motion picture” quality movies, which Ashton Kutcher mentioned himself, for a fraction of the cost, likely around $20 per month for a premium membership. It is evident that regulatory measures need to be put in place by the U.S. government to establish rules and set boundaries on AI usage to avoid abuse and protect the jobs of millions of Americans. Such ethical measures are already in place in Europe, India, and Singapore, to name a few. Unfortunately, the United States does not currently have any laws regulating these technologies. The closest I have found through my research over the past six months is the Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act of 2024, which highlights measures to keep AI safe, create reskilling programs, and other measures. Unfortunately, this bill is still in the introduced stage, according to the Congress website. From what the law states, it will take up to 180 days to be enacted once passed, within the year it is passed. We can expect a delay of about a year, if not more.
ChatGPT Research: https://chatgpt.com/share/47772d50-337b-4c78-9ecb-0d7441040c72
The American film and television industry supports approximately 2.74 million jobs, encompassing a wide range of roles from special effects technicians and makeup artists to writers and set builders. This vast workforce contributes to over $242 billion in total wages annually, according to the Motion Picture Association (Motion Picture Association). This number includes workers involved in film and video production, as well as post-production and distribution(AnythingResearch).
Given that the cinematography industry alone employs around half a million workers, the broader scope of video content creation extends into numerous other fields. These include advertising, marketing, education, corporate communications, healthcare, real estate, travel and tourism, gaming, non-profit and advocacy, fashion and beauty, technology, automotive, retail and e-commerce, event planning and management, sports, hospitality, art and culture, finance, and the government and public sector. Each of these industries employs a variety of roles, such as videographers, editors, content creators, social media managers, marketing strategists, and more.
These figures highlight the significant impact of video content creation across multiple sectors, showcasing the importance and widespread reliance on these roles in the modern economy.
According to another research I’ve conducted, the unemployment rate could soar to a moderate scenario of 8.1%, more than doubling the current rate (4% as of May) and resulting in a 102.5% increase. Another study I’ve done recently highlighted a dire scenario, predicting an unemployment rate of about 13.4% by April 2025, affecting roughly 22.5 million of the United States workforce.
Data Research available here.
Although the current trend as of May 2024 shows a slight increase in job creation (as reported by J.P. Morgan), it fails to reveal the larger issue of job displacement due to the unchecked implementation of AI and automation throughout the American workforce. This impact is felt across various industries, including the tech sector and fast-food industry. In California, for example, the minimum wage increase by Governor Newson Gavin to $20/hour on April 1st, 2024, has led to significant layoffs. Many fast-food workers have seen their hours reduced from full-time to part-time, some have lost their jobs entirely, and several franchise owners have been forced to close down or relocate out of state.
U.S. nonfarm payroll employment. Above chart from J.P. Morgan available here (June 10, 2024)
California just hiked minimum wage for fast food workers. Some restaurants are replacing them with kiosks. Above article link here from CNN.
California fast food restaurants conduct mass layoffs in retaliation against state minimum wage. Above article here from The Guardian.
Some California restaurants face stark realities, burdens after minimum wage increase. We quickly shifted from being profitable to losing money on April 1. Above article here from ABC News.
CA fast food franchisee plans to move investments out-of-state over minimum wage hike. Fox Business
What is currently occurring is the issue of displaced workers being unable to reenter the job market. There might be new jobs created, but, as an example, the tech sector specifically has been going through a hiring freeze for the past eight months. We lost 65,000 jobs nationally due to AI in April alone, which averages to 2,100 jobs cut daily. These workers all have to find new jobs, adding to market saturation, and the average time to find a job is now over six months. Meanwhile, displaced workers like myself are left with no income to survive, inadequate government agencies such as unemployment services, and loss of healthcare, which adds to this workforce crisis. The news has not been reporting this due to receiving money from politicians and Tech CEOs to change the narrative and control public opinion. The 2,100 jobs lost on average daily are not just numbers; they represent 2,100 families facing financial and emotional tolls, unable to afford their mortgage or rent, put their children through college, or afford necessities such as food and medication due to a broken healthcare system that requires employment for proper healthcare.
Almost 65,000 job cuts were announced in April - And AI was blamed for the most losses ever. Above article link here from Forbes.com
Since November of last year, I have been unable to reenter the tech sector due to market saturation, tech companies streamlining operations with AI, and the rapid advancement of technology that can now replace entire skillsets like mine as a data analyst. For instance, just a few weeks ago, ChatGPT gained the ability to create bar charts from an uploaded Excel spreadsheet and answer follow-up questions about the data. In my previous role as the Director of Business Intelligence for an accounting firm, my employer charged clients $XXX per hour for my data analytics expertise. It's clear that the demand for these services will decline as a tool available for $20 per month (ChatGTP) can perform these tasks more effectively and at a significantly lower cost.
Example of ChatGPT replacing my skillset as a data analyst:
Video above available on LinkedIn here.
Current tech sector hiring landscape:
Tech job market remains in flux as layoffs continue and experienced workers struggle to get hired. Above article link here.
Compelling story of a displaced tech worker unable to reenter the job market:
After she was laid off in September, Jenny Richards didn’t expect to spend more than six months trying to find her next job. She had worked in product management roles at Seattle tech companies like Expedia, Tableau, Microsoft, and Accenture. Her most recent gig was at a startup developing recruiting software, so she knew the intricacies of tech hiring.
But after applying to hundreds of jobs, many with internal referrals, nothing stuck. She was on the verge of losing unemployment benefits. Finally, she made it to the final round of an interview process — but then was abandoned, with no explanation.
“I couldn’t get a job,” Richards said. “I couldn’t get anybody to call. Nothing.”
Tech layoffs continue while AI prevents them from getting new jobs quickly. Above article here from The Wall Street Journal.
Other news articles in regards to the tech sector dynamics:
The tech sector is pouring billions of dollars into AI. But it keeps laying off humans. Above article here from CNN.
Tech Layoffs Just Keep Coming as Sector Resets for AI. Above article here from The Wall Street Journal.
Why widespread tech layoffs keep happening despite a strong U.S Economy. Above article here from CNBC.
Tech companies are slashing thousands of jobs as they pivot toward AI. Above article here from CBS News.
The Chief of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, raised the alarm back in January of this year highlighted that 40% of the global workforce could be impacted by AI and automation, up to 60% of jobs in developed economies such as the United States. This underscores the urgent need to put pressure on the U.S. government to establish clear guidelines to ensure AI technologies are developed and used responsibly.
“Jobs may disappear”: Nearly 40% of global employment could be disrupted by AI, IMF says. Above article here from CNN.
AI to impact 60% of advanced economy jobs, says IMF Chief. Above article link here from France24.com
AI will hit the labor market like a “tsunami,” IMG Chief warns. - Fortune.com
“We have very little time to get people ready for it”
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
As the founder of Voice for Change, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for ethical AI practices and regulations, I believe that now, more than ever, is crucial to address these issues and push for regulatory frameworks to protect jobs and economic stability.
I am reaching out to you because I believe you would be a powerful advocate in the space of advocating for Ethical AI. Your influence could help bring attention to these critical issues and encourage meaningful conversations on how we can shape the future of AI responsibly. It is crucial for someone within the movie industry to speak up and be a voice for Ethical AI, especially given the current lack of opposition to celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, who publicly promote AI tools like Sora as "amazing." The reality I am sharing is far from being "amazing." Additionally, it's important to have a recognizable face advocating for ethical AI, particularly someone from an industry that is likely to see significant impacts from AI advancements in the coming months. Your participation could significantly influence public perception and policy development in this critical area.
I am currently working on a TikTok series to educate the public on the workforce disruption and economic implications of AI, which I invite you to watch at the following link. I will be posting more videos in the next couple of days.
TikTok Series “AI Domination: Reaching a Point of No Return ?”:
Additionally, I have a TV show concept named “Transfigured” which I believe you could be a part of. It aims to explore these themes through storytelling. I envision it not only as entertainment but also as a platform to educate and inspire action towards ethical AI regulations. This TV show aims to change public opinion on the rise of artificial intelligence, potentially impacting policies worldwide to ensure they are ethical. My goal is to donate 50% of the proceeds from this TV series to my upcoming charity called “One More Angel,” which would focus on helping mothers in Haiti, where my adopted brother is from, so they can keep their children instead of giving them up for adoption.
I would be honored to discuss this further with you and explore how we can collaborate to drive positive change. Please let me know a convenient time for you, or feel free to reach out directly at my cellphone number below.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference together.
Kind regards,
Kevin Bihan-Poudec
Founder Voice For Change Foundation | Advocating for Ethical AI, Workforce Preservation and Human Rights
info@voiceforchangefoundation.org
www.VoiceForChangeFoundation.org
P.S: TV Show concept poster: “Transfigured”
Transfigured
Reality is just the beginning.
Unravel the mind, transform the soul.
