Actor Eleanor Noble and National President of ACTRA. the Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television Radio Artists (ACTRA) speaks as union members join representatives from the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) as they hold a joint rally outside the Canadian headquarters of Amazon and Apple in Toronto, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, to protest corporate greed that is diminishing the livelihoods of their members. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Don’t count AI-generated content as CanCon, CRTC hears

By The Canadian Press May 22, 2025 | 12:46 PM

OTTAWA — Unions representing actors and writers are urging the CRTC not to classify artificial intelligence-generated material as Canadian content.

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists says “under no circumstance” should AI-created material be considered CanCon.

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The union’s national president Eleanor Noble says doing otherwise would be a “betrayal” of Canadian performers.

The actor’s union is appearing at a two-week hearing held by the federal broadcast regulator as it considers how to modernize its definition of Canadian content.

The CRTC asked for input on the impact and role of artificial intelligence as part of that process.

The Writer’s Guild of Canada, which appeared at the hearing Wednesday, also argues AI-generated content should not be considered Canadian content.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press