Video Game Actors Go On Strike Over AI

Summary

• SAG-AFTRA is going on strike over Artificial Intelligence protection for video game voice actors.
• The strike is effective beginning July 26 at 12:01 a.m., and several companies will be impacted, including Insomniac and Take 2.
• It is the second video game strike, as SAG-AFTRA previously went on strike in 2016 over protection and hiring transparency.

SAG-AFTRA is going on strike once again. This time, the labor union is doing so over protection against Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) for video game voice actors. The strike is effective July 26 at 12:01 a.m. and comes after over a year and a half of failed negotiations without a deal.

Per SAG-AFTRA's announcement, ten video game companies will be affected by the authorization of a strike. They are: Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.

As a result of the decision to strike, in order to bring in a SAG-AFTRA talent to voice or act in a game, the company must sign one of three agreements. The new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interim Interactive Media Agreement or the Interactive Localization Agreement. Each of these agreements carries protection against A.I., a critical sticking point for SAG-AFTRA.

Stellaris Just Showed Us How AI Can Be Ethically Used In Video Game Production

Seeing an AI disclaimer in a video game naturally incites distaste, but it looks like Stellaris has used AI as ethically as possible

In a statement following the decision to strike, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said the following: “We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate."

SAG-AFTRA Negotiations Date Back To October 2022

The fight against A.I. has been ongoing since October 2022, and a year after those negotiations began, SAG-AFTRA voted for a strike authorization on September 24, 2023. While there is a lot to unpack regarding the strike, put simply, SAG-AFTRA is looking for protection against generative A.I. for its members.

In an FAQ included on its website, SAG-AFTRA wrote the following when it comes to video games:

Additionally, your favorite performances are brought to life through the artistry of human actors who improvise, tap into personal experiences, and collaborate with writers and directors to create a performance that only they could provide. No two actors are the same, and every performance is unique.

Generative A.I. tools threaten to replace these artists with derivative, machine-recycled performance, lacking perspective or surprise. A.I.-generated performances will not carry the originality, pathos or humor of an actual human actor.

For what it's worth, this would not be the first time that video game artists have gone on strike. A 2016 strike lasted several months, and was held over secondary compensation, increased hiring transparency and on-set safety precautions, according to an NPR news report. An agreement was reached after months of negotiations.

“Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation," Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh said in part. "We refuse this paradigm – we will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer."

It remains to be seen just how long this strike will last, though it's clear that it won't end until protections against generative A.I. are guaranteed.

Concord Asks What If Overwatch Was Tedious?

Concord's complex meta systems are novel, but its design slows things down way too much.