Hundreds of video game voice actors and Hollywood actors have gone in front of the Warner Bros Studios to protest against the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Major video game companies, like Sony, Warner Bros, Activision and Disney, are now at risk as these performers have said they won’t stop their strike until their requirements are met.
This is a second strike for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). It comes after last year’s strike by film and television actors. The decision to strike comes after months of negotiations with major video game companies, including Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Activision, Disney, and Warner Bros.
The AI Concern
The main concern among video game voice actors is the increased use of AI technology and the fear that gaming studios could use generative AI to reproduce their voices. Voice actors are afraid that video game companies will animate their characters without providing fair compensation. The concern is real, as the AI advance has already started revolutionising various industries, and the gaming industry is no exception.
SAG-AFTRA expressed concern when they discussed salaries and job safety with the gaming companies, but there’s more to agree regarding the usage of AI.
In their statement, they said: “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. We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members”.
This strike could have a huge impact on the iGaming industry too, with the slot games seen on sites like StrikeWild revolving around games with high quality voice acting potentially facing delays in new releases due to the unavailability of voice actors.
In response to the strike, video game studios said that they are disappointed with the strike as they say they have already conceded a fair amount of ground to the union. Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the 10 video game producers that negotiate with SAG-AFTRA, added that their offer directly addresses the concerns and includes AI protections to all performers.
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To this, SAG-AFTRA chief contracts officer Ray Rodriguez said that the gaming companies offered protections to voice, not motion performers. In an interview with Aftermath, he said that “The protections only extend to on-camera performers and to voice performers under their offer if the performer is identifiable in the output of the AI digital replica. But the truth is, in video games, it’s not going to be identifiable, as you could be doing the stunts that form the movement for Spider-Man, but what the player is going to see is Spider-Man. So that requirement of identifiability really leaves movement performers out of the scope of coverage”.
The Impact on the Industry
The consequences from this strike will not just affect video game voice actors; it has the potential to disrupt the whole gaming industry, from massive gaming studios to indie developers. For example, the major studios can face delays in game production or schedule releases, which could lead in revenue loss.
For indie game developers, the situation can be worse. Many of them already work with limited budgets and rely on voice actors to bring their characters to life. With the strike, they can fact serious challenges, make it harder for the developers to build the games.This strike is part of a larger issue in the gaming industry, where the use of AI has already sparked conversation about the future of work. Last year, TV and film actors in the US won millions of pounds about AI protections in a 118-day strike organised by SAG-AFTRA, which was the longest strike in the union’s 90-year history.
