Sean Astin sat before his union members with a laundry list of a thousand things he still wants from the major studios. The SAG-AFTRA president is currently navigating a landmark four-year pact designed to fortify the biological velvet rope around human performers. The negotiations have focused heavily on ensuring AI provisions give actors a four-year term of confidence.

I wouldn’t be doing my job as president of the union if I couldn’t give you a laundry list, Astin told The Hollywood Reporter. The deal includes significant money for pension and retirement plans, along with new rules on residuals. It is a desperate attempt to protect human labor as synthetic media threatens to replace biological actors with digital ghosts.

The contract follows the precedent set by the Writers Guild, aiming to ensure that the entertainment industry remains a human endeavor. As AI capabilities double in months, Astin and his committee are fighting to keep the elite ranks of Hollywood from being automated into obsolescence. For now, the actors have secured a temporary peace against the machine.