IATSE Names Jillian Arnold Its First Labor and Technology Intelligence Officer

IATSE has hired Jillian Arnold as its first labor and technology intelligence officer, a new position at the union representing more than 170,000 crew workers in the U.S. and Canada. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the hire, which IATSE announced publicly on Friday. Arnold has worked in the role since late July.

Arnold's Role and Prior Union Work

Arnold is a former crew member and the former president of IATSE Local 695, the sound, video and projection local, where she was the first woman to hold that position. She is a video engineer and former cinematographer whose credits include NASA missions, among them the Mars Curiosity Rover landing and the Juno mission, and live television including the Oscars, the Emmys and the MTV Video Music Awards.

In 2024, Arnold chaired the union's AI subcommittee during its negotiations with studios and streamers. IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said in a statement that Arnold has proven to be "a leader on artificial intelligence and its impact on the labor movement."

Arnold told The Hollywood Reporter that she retired from working as a video engineer in the field in July, and that her new position was announced to IATSE leadership within a week. She said the hire responds to preparation for the next round of negotiations and to technological change in the business.

"We want to make sure that we are a part of the deployment and integration of any AI within our craft so that we make tools that are for workers, not displacing workers," Arnold said.

IATSE's Scale and Governance

According to akta.pro company records, IATSE represents more than 170,000 behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in live events, motion picture and television production, broadcast, trade shows and animation throughout the U.S. and Canada. The union was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Saint Louis. The same records list Matthew D. Loeb as international president and note that IATSE held its 70th Quadrennial Convention in August 2025.

Earlier IATSE Developments

In September 2026, Apple Studios visual effects workers secured their first IATSE contract, establishing new standards for wages, health care, retirement benefits, working hours, AI protections and workplace safety, Variety reported. In August 2026, IATSE International suspended the elected leadership of Local 479, which represents film and television technicians in Georgia and Alabama, and placed it under temporary trusteeship amid allegations of corruption, Deadline reported. Also in August 2026, the Directors Guild of America and IATSE conditionally supported the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, urging a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta to avoid trial delays stalling industry productions, TheWrap reported.

Arnold's Priorities and Next Steps

Arnold said negotiations next spring are her number one priority, working with business agents in the Basic and ASA agreements on proposals to bring to the table. She said IATSE rolled out a class for local leadership on how to talk to members about AI, and that she is working with the union's education and political departments on reskilling and on state and federal legislation. Arnold said the union is not endorsing any AI model at this time.