Discussions between SAG-AFTRA and game publishers are still ongoing, with a major point of contention being the relationship between AI and the gaming industry. voice actorAnd it has been suggested that strike action will be taken if the issues are not resolved by mid- or late-summer.
Talk to Gaming IndustryChief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree Ireland, Voice Actor Sarah Elmaleh (Hi-Fi Rush) explained that there is a “very clearly drawn line” when it comes to interactive media agreements and AI.
While other proposals have been worked out nearly a year after negotiations began, Elmaleh said he's “narrowed it down” to AI. It all depends on “whether the negotiating group is willing to comprehensively extend protections to all members and performers within SAG-AFTRA.”
Some companies, including Insomniac Games and WB Games, are not making concessions when it comes to protecting their AI, Crabtree Ireland said. Specifically: all SAG-AFTRA members under IMA contracts, not just any particular tier.
“As a union, we're not going to leave any of our members behind in the process of negotiating these protections,” he said, “and frankly, these protections shouldn't be that hard to agree to. They're fundamental.”
In response to questions, Crabtree-Ireland and Elmaleh said the possibility of a strike within the next month or two was “very real.” The strike was authorized It was announced last September, but the company stressed it was doing everything in its power to avoid it.
“We want to take every opportunity to resolve these issues,” he said. “What we need to do to move forward and not descend into a strike is… [studios] We will reexamine their resistance and their insistence on dividing our members, protecting some and not others.”
Companies are making AI-driven decisions on behalf of other companies
Over the past year, technology companies have been investing in this controversial technology and incorporating it into everything. gamemovies, and Social mediaThese big companies are trying to make it the norm without even asking users if they want it.
Mid-May, Marvel actor Scarlett Johansson She accused OpenAI of having a replica of her voice, even though she refused to use it. Similar breaches of consent extend to the voice acting industry. Mods contract A demanding actor Sign a waiver of speaking rights.
Commenting on the controversy surrounding Johansson, Crabtree-Ireland said: “Companies run a huge risk if they underestimate the public reaction to not treating workers fairly in the context of AI.”
For Elmaleh, the idea of voice actors doing their job and creating technology to replace them is “scary” and “a scenario that has to be taken into account. It has been partially reported so far, but the question is that no one is left behind.”
They acknowledge that AI will evolve and SAG-AFTRA's rules and contracts will move with the technology, but they also understand that the best way forward is for the company to work with the union on the technology rather than trying to force the issue.
Crabtree-Ireland said that while the current negotiations are “difficult,” she is hopeful that they will not be the case in the future, “because I can see a path to a future where we work together.”
You can read GamesIndustry's full interview with Elmaleh and Crabtree Ireland below. here.
