By D. Maan, Jadetimes News
Hollywood Performers Go on Strike Against Big Video Game Makers Over AI Concerns
The big video game firms are now under attack from those very people who help bring a little life into digital characters, this time the Hollywood performers taking it to Activision, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney over the use of artificial intelligence in the industry. This strike comes after a year and a half of negotiation on the part of these companies and a union representing more than 2,500 video game performers for a new contract.
While the two parties have reached an accord over several key issues, such as wages and job safety, AI technology remains a big point of contention. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists issued a call to industrial action. It was the same union that brought Hollywood to its knees with a strike by actors working in film and television last year.
What performers are primarily concerned about is that studios would be using generative AI in replicating their voices and replicating their physical appearances to animate video game characters without offering fair remuneration. "Although agreements have been reached on many issues. the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their AI language," Sag Aftra stated.
"We're not going to stand for a contract that allows companies to abuse AI at the expense of our members," the union further said.
Game studios, on the other hand, have said they already came a long way to try and meet the union's demands in their proposals. "We are disappointed that the union has chosen to walk away when we're so close to a deal," said Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the ten video game producers negotiating with Sag Aftra. "Our offer is directly responsive to Sag Aftra's concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the Interactive Media Agreement."
The Interactive Media Agreement applies to voiceover artists or on camera talent that create video game characters. The previous contract, which did not include AI protections, was scheduled to expire in November 2022 but has been extended month to month while negotiations continued.
In 2023, TV and movie actors struck $1bn (£790m) of new pay and benefits and safeguards on the use of AI in a strike by Sag Aftra. It was the longest shutdown 118 days in the union's 90 year history. Combined with a separate writers' strike, the actions severely disrupted film and TV production and cost California's economy more than $6.5bn (£5.2bn), according to entertainment industry publication Deadline.
Today's strike reflects the increased fear that performers have of AI abuse in the entertainment industry. Unions such as Sag Aftra will continue to press for better safeguards for fair treatment and pay as technology evolves. These negotiations will likely be a defining precedent on how AI is dealt with in creative industries moving forward.
