As AI makes its way into movies, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is fighting for actors’ rights

After years of advocating for actors’ collective rights, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is finally getting his own close-up. Now executive director of the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Crabtree-Ireland has come a long way from his early days as a Los Angeles County prosecutor, transforming himself into one of Hollywood’s most influential behind-the-scenes players since joining the union in 2000. Now, as he leads 160,000 members across an ever-expanding entertainment landscape, he faces perhaps his biggest challenge yet: the rise of AI.

“The days of having a real world veto of what you will do, those days are threatened by these digital replica models,” he says, speaking about AI’s ability to recreate actors’ performances without their involvement. The concern isn’t theoretical—just look at the recent controversy over AI-generated Bruce Willis performances created after Willis stepped away from acting due to illness, or the battle over James Dean’s digital resurrection for a role more than 60 years after his death. 

When California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two groundbreaking AI regulation bills in 2024, Crabtree-Ireland was standing next to him, alongside SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher to witness the victory. One of the new laws requires explicit consent and clear contract language for any AI-generated replicas of performances; the other closes loopholes in existing protections for deceased performers. SAG-AFTRA has also successfully supported the passage of two AI-related bills in Illinois and one in Tennessee, according to Crabtree-Ireland. Another bill is currently pending in New York. At the federal level, the union is advocating for both the Take It Down Act and the No Fakes Act, the latter of which they helped draft.

The legislation bears the hallmarks of Crabtree-Ireland’s approach: pragmatic, forward-thinking, and focused on consent rather than prohibition. It’s the kind of quiet, effective work that’s defined his career since becoming general counsel in 2006. 

His experience navigating the historic 2023 actors’ strike is being put to the test again as SAG-AFTRA continues negotiating with video game publishers after going on strike in July after 18 months of negotiations. The battle once again centers on AI, particularly around motion and performance capture. While both sides express optimism, Crabtree-Ireland’s team is considering stronger tactics this time, including a possible formal boycott just as holiday shopping ramps up.

It’s not his first technological rodeo. Since taking the helm at SAG-AFTRA, Crabtree-Ireland has been at the forefront of digital evolution in entertainment, helping secure the first streaming payment augmentations to include worldwide usage. “Whether it is desirable or not, it’s not possible to halt AI’s advance,” he says. Instead, he advocates for what he describes as an implementation that’s “more human-centered, more about augmentation and less about replacement.”

Take his stance on Lionsgate’s recent announcement that it’s developing AI tools to potentially create and modify performances: “It’s a little unclear what Lionsgate intends to do,” he says. Crabtree-Ireland didn’t want to comment until more is know, like whether the studio plans to keep these tools in-house for post-production or license them to others, a distinction that could have major implications for performers. It’s this kind of careful analysis that’s become his trademark.

During recent negotiations, he strategically prioritized certain battles over others—pushing hard on digital replication while taking a more long-term approach to synthetic performances. “There are things that we need to build on in subsequent rounds of negotiations,” he says

The conversation around AI is far from over, and with both the video game strike and new technology emerging daily, Crabtree-Ireland knows each victory is just the beginning. His goal remains unwavering: “I hope to see any implementation of any AI in Hollywood to be done only with the informed consent of performers.”

This story is part of AI 20, our monthlong series of profiles spotlighting the most interesting technologists, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and creative thinkers shaping the world of artificial intelligence.

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