Video game actors represented by the Hollywood labor union SAG-AFTRA are going on strike after negotiations over curbs on AI reached deadlock.
Union officials have been in talks for the past year and a half with a group of ten gaming companies about how to regulate the use of AI-generated ‘digital replicas’ and other synthetic media trained on human performances.
But on Thursday, SAG-AFTRA said that the companies had refused to agree to the necessary safeguards and refused to treat all types of performance equally, leaving it with no choice but to declare a strike starting on Friday July 26.
“Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable AI protections, but rather flagrant exploitation,” said negotiating committee chair and veteran voice actor Sarah Elmaleh.
“We refuse this paradigm – we will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer.”
The strike comes amid an ongoing surge in labor organizing among video game creators, driven by a wave of mass layoffs over the last two years and by fears of AI-driven job loss or degradation of conditions.
On Wednesday, more than 500 workers at Blizzard Entertainment – the Microsoft-owned studio behind the popular Warcraft franchise – formed a union, affiliated with the Communications Workers of America.
Meanwhile, an investigation by Wired found that AI is already triggering job losses in the games industry, such as by automating concept art and marketing materials.
SAG-AFTRA, which represents about 160,000 actors and other performers across multiple industries, has been at the forefront of this debate, having already forced TV and film studios to terms in a mammoth 118-day strike last year.
‘They want to choose who counts as a performer’
At issue now is the latest version of SAG-AFTRA’s interactive media agreement, which sets conditions for union members working for game companies. That includes dedicated game actors and motion capture artists, as well as primarily film and TV actors who also appear in video games.
Companies who sign the agreement voluntarily will not be affected by the strike.
SAG-AFTRA bosses say they do not oppose AI-generated performances, Rather, the union wants companies to seek informed consent from members before making any kind of digital replica, and to give them veto rights over any future use of that replica. It also wants performers to get extra wages every time their replica is used.
The ten companies – which include Activision Productions, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Epic Games, Insomniac Games, and Take 2 Productions – have already agreed to many of SAG-AFTRA’s demands, including wage increases.
But union negotiators claim the companies are still holding out on critical points, such as whether protections for voice acting should also apply to other types of performance such as motion capture work, stunt work, and other whole-body performances.
“The employers’ AI provisions leave the folks who put their bodies on the line most vulnerable to abuse,” said creature and stunt performer Andi Norris. “They say they get to choose, seemingly arbitrarily, who is a performer and who is ‘just data’.
“Their proposal would carve out anything that doesn’t look and sound identical to me as I sit here – when in truth, in any given week, I am a zombie, or soldier, or a zombie soldier…
“We deserve the rights to our own likeness. And while we are willing to fight and fall, we aren’t willing to roll over.”
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), another union that is making inroads among video game developers, expressed solidarity with a strike.
Meanwhile, the ten companies disputed SAG-AFTRA’s characterisation of the dispute.
“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 spokesperson Audrey Cooling in a statement on Thursday.
“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.”
This story was updated at 20:33 Pacific Time on Thursday July 25, 2024 to include new details from a SAG-AFTRA press conference.
