Black Mirror’s ‘Joan is Awful’ shits all over the future of streaming


A white woman, with her hair in pigtails, looking haggard, sits on a couch in sweats and the top of a cheerleader uniform.
Annie Murphy gets a little filthy and very funny as she fights for a better future for streaming. | Photo by Nick Wall / Netflix

Right now in Hollywood, the screenwriters of the Writers Guild of America are on strike. And one reason they’re on strike is the fear that AI will take their jobs, churning out mediocre content quickly and cheaply that helps streamers’ bottom lines even if it doesn’t contribute much culturally speaking. (Disclosure: The Verge’s editorial staff is represented by the Writers Guild of America East.) Actors have also announced an intent to strike, and one reason is their desire to preserve the rights to their own likenesses, so streamers can’t build digital facsimiles that do all the work with none of the pay. Directors are voting on their own contract, with some, like The Matrix’s Lilly Wachowski and SpartacusSteven DeKnight, vocally...

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