Writers Guild Secures AI Protections in New ABC News Contract

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Unionized writers at ABC News have ratified a groundbreaking three-year contract that includes significant protections against the use of generative artificial intelligence in the workplace. The agreement, announced Tuesday by the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), ensures that current staff employees will not be laid off due to AI adoption and requires management to provide advance notice before implementing AI systems.

The contract also mandates that ABC News negotiate with the union on the impacts of AI and hold semi-annual meetings to review its use. WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen hailed the deal as a victory for workplace protections, stating, “Now more than ever, we need journalists who can report and present the news while they are protected in their workplace.”

In addition to AI safeguards, the agreement includes financial improvements for union members. Writers will receive a minimum annual pay increase of 3.5%, with desk assistants seeing a 17% raise in the first year. Temporary employees will gain access to paid parental leave starting in the second year of the contract, and Juneteenth will be added as a recognized holiday.

The contract also addresses compensation for writers whose broadcast work is repurposed for digital platforms like streaming and the ABC News website. “Our members and staff fought hard for this contract, and they deserve everything they won,” Cullen added.

ABC News is among several media organizations represented by the WGAE, which also includes staff at CBS News, MSNBC, and other outlets. The guild emphasized the importance of solidarity in securing the deal, with the bargaining committee stating, “We are immensely proud of our new contract, which we’ve won as the result of the resilience and solidarity shown by our fellow WGA East members at ABC News.”