President’s Message
AI’s increased impact on the film industry
June 9, 2026
Dear ACTRA Toronto members,
I was recently invited to speak on CBC’s The National about the Tribeca Film Festival’s decision to platform an AI-generated feature film — openly and intentionally. I was not being asked to weigh in on the subject matter of the film, but to address the consequences of a fully AI-generated film being created in just two months for US$2,000.
If there is a silver lining, it is this: by programming an AI-generated film in its feature slate, we can have this conversation.
As ACTRA Toronto President, my job is to protect the integrity of what we do, how we do it, and to defend our right to fair compensation. In alignment with thousands of creative industry colleagues, our position at ACTRA Toronto is this:
Wherever AI is used in the filmmaking process, there will be consequences. The issues the creative community is raising cannot be reconciled without comprehensive collective action and government intervention.
To secure the much talked about ‘elbows up’ cultural sovereignty Canadians deserve, we must address the gaping vulnerability in the creative sector. This is an industry valued at nearly $35 billion in GDP, supporting over 260,000 good-paying jobs — the majority of which are union jobs.
We will get to our part in a moment, but we are calling on the Government of Canada and all jurisdictions to step up and take a leadership role to:
- Strengthen Status of the Artist legislation to protect cultural workers from the threat of AI.
- Enact policies that protect all workers from the impact of AI technologies on jobs.
This is especially timely given the Government of Canada’s recently launched AI strategy – AI for All – dubbed a ‘practical strategy for a fast-changing world’ and designed to protect Canadians, create opportunity, help more businesses and public services adopt AI, build Canadian controlled infrastructure, and support Canadian AI companies as they grow.
While ACTRA Toronto was pleased to see the strategy confirm that Canadian AI “must support, reflect, and project Canadian culture,” we were disappointed it did not take things a step further by including guardrails to protect creative workers, such as rules regarding consent, compensation and control when it comes to how AI systems are trained and built. Any AI policies or legislation stemming from this strategy must support the 250k+ Canadian jobs that contribute to this massive economic driver. ACTRA members want more work on Canadian soil. We need a commitment from the federal government that AI for All means protecting what matters most – our ability to make a living.
We at ACTRA Toronto are ready and willing to be a partner in this work.
In 2024, ACTRA pushed for and won significant AI protections for performers in the last round of IPA bargaining, specifically around digital replicas and synthetic performers and voices for both live action and animated productions. With the next round of IPA bargaining just over a year away, AI will again be a key focus as we look to strengthen our protections against what is becoming an increasingly alarming and rapidly evolving production tool.
While we are proud to have accomplished historic protections for our members, much has changed since 2024. Heck, much has changed since January of this year. Just yesterday, Claude’s Anthropic announced a bit for a $1 trillion IPO.
The questions many of us are asking online, at dinner with friends, on set and in the labour movement are: what does resistance to AI mean, what is possible, and how do we execute collective action as part of an AI resistance strategy? These are the questions we’ll be exploring at the ACTRA Toronto Annual General Meeting (AGM) with guest speaker Dr. Tanner Mereeles, who will be sharing his research on exactly these themes.
Filmmaking is an act of imagination and human ingenuity
Dreams of Violets director Ash Koosha said in a recent interview that AI allowed him to create at the speed of news — but no one is quantifying the cost of that convenience before forging ahead. Unions intentionally slow things down to ensure that workers are treated fairly, protected and compensated for their labour.
Filmmaking is not only about the end product. From inception to final cut, it is an act of imagination, research and dedication — often years in the making. A uniquely human ingenuity.
It is imperative we guard against the very human propensity to fall for what seems easy before knowing the true cost: economic, creative, ethical and environmental. No amount of curiosity is worth rushing past those considerations given what’s at stake.
Please join us at the ACTRA Toronto AGM on Tuesday, June 23 to discuss the matters most important to us all — Preference of Engagement, commercial organizing, union finances and resisting AI.
In solidarity,
Kate Ziegler
ACTRA Toronto President