SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said that to end the strike that began on Friday, video game publishers must protect their actors and voice actors from potential AI infringement. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Many of the world's top video game publishers have been the target of strikes sparked by a general lack of AI protections for performers and voice actors. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
July 27 (UPI) — The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Entertainers Association (AFA) have staged a strike due to insufficient protections for the use of AI in video games.
The strike began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.
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Video game actors and voice actors voted to strike after their union negotiated with video game companies for the past 18 months.
“Despite reaching an agreement on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to explicitly affirm in clear, enforceable language that the AI language will protect all performers covered by this contract,” SAG-AFTRA officials said in an online statement.
SAG-AFTRA's lead negotiator and national executive director Duncan Crabtree Ireland and the union's Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee agreed to call for a strike on Thursday.
The strike affects video game publishers Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions, VoiceWorks Productions and WB Games.
A series of proposals and counter-proposals have been made by negotiators from the union and video game publishers in recent weeks, but the union has called for a strike due to concerns about future uses of AI.
“We will not agree to contracts that allow companies to misuse AI to the detriment of our members,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told media on Thursday.
A spokesman for the video game publisher said an agreement had been reached with the union on 24 of 25 proposals, including wage increases and safety measures.
“We are disappointed that we were so close to an agreement and the union chose to walk away,” Audrey Couling, a spokeswoman for the video game publisher, said in a statement.
Coulling said the video game publisher offered “meaningful AI protections, including requiring consent and fair compensation for all performers.”
“These terms are some of the most powerful in the entertainment industry,” Couling added.
SAG-AFTRA and video game publishers began negotiations in October 2022. More than 98% of union members voted to authorize a strike in September if negotiations do not yield adequate solutions to issues such as AI concerns.
SAG-AFTRA launched a nearly year-long strike against video game publishers in October 2016 to secure residual wages.
