Video game actors to go on strike following breakdown in AI talks with game developers

Video game actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have voted to go on strike starting Friday, after a breakdown in negotiations with video game studios over protections from artificial intelligence.

The rise of generative AI, and its potential to interchange humans, was one of the crucial critical sticking points for actors and writers during last yr’s Hollywood strikes. Although actors and screenwriters within the movie industry were ultimately capable of negotiate a cope with film studios over AI, video game performers have didn’t achieve this.

In keeping with SAG-AFTRA, the negotiations between video game actors and major game developers broke down after greater than a yr and a half of discussions. The union, which represents 160,000 actors, has been negotiating with a gaggle of video game corporations that features Activision Productions Studios LLC, Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices International Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive Inc., VoiceWorks Productions LLC and Warner Bros Games.

The union said in a statement to media that though agreements have been reached on a lot of probably the most relevant issues for its members, the video games studios have refused to “plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they may protect all performers covered by this contract of their AI language.”

A spokesperson for the video game producers said they were upset to see that the “union has chosen to walk away once we are so near a deal.” He added that the group is ready to resume negotiations at any moment.

“We’ve already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and extra safety provisions,” the spokesperson added. “Our offer is directly attentive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA.”

SAG-AFTRA voice actors and performance capture artists previously went on strike in October 2016 and didn’t return to work for greater than 11 months. Their last interactive contract with video games developers expired in November 2022 and didn’t include any protections around AI.

“Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the teachings of last yr — that our members can and can rise up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to AI, and the general public supports us in that,” SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in an announcement.

SAG-AFTRA Members Who Work on Video Games Go on Strike

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— SAG-AFTRA NEWS (@sagaftranews) July 25, 2024

Actors play an important role within the video games development industry, lending their voices to game characters and doing full performances in motion capture. Some even lend their likeness to characters which might be replicated within the digital world.

SAG-AFTRA members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in September, if the negotiations on a brand new labor contract broke down. It was believed that the union was making progress in its talks. In January, it announced it had struck a cope with the AI company Replica Studios Inc. to determine protections regarding the licensing of digitally replicated voices.

Actors’ fears over AI voice replication are justified and so they’re shared by others, resembling music artists. AI voice technology has develop into widespread within the social media domain, where AI-generated voiceovers are sometimes used with memes. Some actors, resembling Roger Clark, who provides the voice for “Red Dead Redemption 2″’s protagonist character Arthur Morgan, have publicly criticized fans for using AI to copy their voices to be used with content shared on social media.

Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said it appears the video game actors have some legitimate concerns, because it’s their mental property that allows AI to exist in the primary place. Without the actors, there wouldn’t be any AI to in the future replace them of their jobs, so it seems appropriate for them to ask for compensation.

“Their concerns are valid and it’s right that the actors must be protected each now and in the longer term,” Mueller said. “The consequence of those negotiations could well prove to be a landmark one for all actors and artists within the media industry.”

In keeping with The Associated Press, union leaders insist they aren’t completely “anti-AI,” but they’re concerned concerning the unchecked use of the technology. Their biggest fear is that game developers will use their voices and physical likenesses to coach AI models that may eventually replace them altogether.

SAG-AFTRA Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez told reporters on a Zoom call that the strike was a “last resort” for the union’s members. “On this negotiation we have now not received all the things we received within the replica deal, and if we had, we might not be announcing a strike,” he said.

“We’re left with practically no protection for our future,” added Zeke Alton, a video game performer who was on the negotiating team.

Image: SiliconANGLE/Microsoft Designer