People have questioned whether Hollywood would survive the writer's strike. Now that it has officially ended with the Minimum Basic Agreement, we are still left to ponder the strike's long-term implications. However, this complacency-riddled industry's arduous journey has left one more gripping question: Has the entertainment industry changed forever?

The WGA, or Writers Guild of America, houses thousands of writers who create various forms of media. But with the creation of new content, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, has been known to strip their workers of basic rights. The recent strike was a result of pent-up frustrations among writers of the WGA; they wanted increased compensation, better residuals, staffing requirements, and protection for artificial intelligence, and they wanted it now. Thousands of writers were suffering due to these poor conditions that were not at all hard to solve. Leading producers such as Netflix, Paramount, and Disney certainly have the money to reduce the stress put on writers. They make a profit of $28-30 billion each year, yet their employees aren't getting the full benefits they should from this financial success. 

On May 2nd, after WGA's demands weren't met by AMPTP, they officially declared a strike. Support from 97% of the guild and a handful of actors showed everybody watching the entertainment industry that this would be a momentous event to remember. Even those not actively tuned in to the strike's recent developments were soon hit with the effects; late-night shows were immediately off the air. Aside from viewers' favorite shows and movies being delayed, Hollywood was also burdened with severe economic losses. According to Tod Holmes, a professor of entertainment industry management, the strike has caused a loss of $3 billion along with 37,700 jobs.

As of September 27th, the writer's strike has officially come to an end after 148 days. With the Minimum Basic Agreement in effect, writers have more freedom to continue doing what they love. However, actors are still in their own battle for rights, including fair wages, safety measures, and protection from artificial intelligence. The recurrence of the latter issue especially highlights something historical in the entertainment industry. With the advancement of new technology, it's not surprising that artificial intelligence can easily take away jobs – something that writers and actors are all too familiar with. A non-human employee that is not entitled to any basic rights is the dream of big entertainment firms. With something as powerful as artificial intelligence at the tip of everyone's fingers, one can envision the disruption it will cause to Hollywood. 

This conflict has been a definite callback to the 2008 Writers Strike. Once again, a fight for rights has ended in economic decline and more questions left than answers. Struggles like these serve as a reminder that Hollywood is in a constant state of transformation. What once seemed extraordinary may soon become the new norm, just as the looming presence of artificial intelligence could reshape the industry in ways we've yet to imagine. The strike has shown us that change is inevitable, even in the glitzy world of entertainment.

This article was edited by Grace Hur.