Video Game Workers at SAG-AFTRA to Go on Strike July 26 Over AI - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 25 July 2024 / 3,182 Views
Video game actors who are members of the SAG-AFTRA union have voted to go on strike tomorrow, July 26.
The strike is happening after negotiations with multiple video game companies failed to come up with acceptable protections for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for SAG-AFTRA members.
The video game companies that SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating with includes Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions,, VoiceWorks Productions, and WB Games.
These video game companies won't be able to hire actors who are members of the SAG-AFTRA union.
SAG-AFTRA Members Who Work on Video Games Go on Strike
— SAG-AFTRA NEWS (@sagaftranews) July 25, 2024
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"We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members," said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. "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 National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland added, "The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies.
"Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year - that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that."
Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh stated, "Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation. We refuse this paradigm – we will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer. We look forward to collaborating with teams on our Interim and Independent contracts, which provide A.I. transparency, consent and compensation to all performers, and to continuing to negotiate in good faith with this bargaining group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve."
Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers party to the Interactive Media Agreement, in a statement to VideoGamesChronicle said they have worked out an agreement on 24 of 25 proposals.
"We are disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal, and we remain prepared to resume negotiations," said Cooling. "We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions.
"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 IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Two unions and a union strike. Interesting week, no?
They sound desperate to halt the advance of AI but they're not going to hold back the tide forever. I'm guessing that the reason both sides are so adamant about this one point is that they want to establish precedent. AI is going to take some jobs away from voice actors without a doubt, that's just reality, same as workers on a production line, but I imagine this is about making sure the top-tier talent can't have their voices replicated without serious compensation. All of this will be decided in the courts, anyway, though it will probably take years.
You're describing a dystopian nightmare that we're trying to avoid. AI generated content is soulless theft of works created by actual human beings. Then there's the very real possibility that if AI is advanced enough it will gain access to the world's nuclear arsenal and kill us all. The Terminator wasn't just a movie, it was a warning.
AI will be the death of society as a whole.
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