By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Major Video Game Companies Face Strike Over AI Concerns
Leading video game makers such as Activision, Warner Bros, and Walt Disney are facing a strike by Hollywood performers over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry. This strike follows a year and a half of negotiations between these companies and a union representing over 2,500 video game performers.
While both sides have reached agreements on several key issues, including wages and job safety, protections related to the use of AI technology remain a significant point of contention. The industrial action was initiated by the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the same union that last year halted Hollywood production with a strike by film and television actors.
The performers are concerned about gaming studios using generative AI to reproduce their voices and physical likenesses to animate video game characters without fair compensation. "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 consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members," the union added.
However, the video game studios argue that they have already made sufficient concessions to address the union's demands. "We are disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal," said Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the 10 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," she added.
The Interactive Media Agreement covers artists who provide voiceover services and on camera work used to create video game characters. The last such agreement, which did not include AI protections, was set to expire in November 2022 but has been extended on a monthly basis while talks continued.
Last year, TV and film actors in the US secured $1 billion in new pay and benefits, as well as safeguards on the use of AI, following a strike organized by SAG AFTRA. The 118 day shutdown was the longest in the union's 90 year history. Combined with a separate writers' strike, these actions severely disrupted film and TV production and cost California's economy more than $6.5 billion, according to the entertainment industry publication Deadline.
