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After initially voting in favour of actions in September of last year, video game performance artists in the the US’ actors union SAG-AFTRA are set to go on strike beginning Friday, July 26th (US time).
The strike comes as ongoing negotiations between the union and video game companies including Activision Productions, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions Inc and WB Games have failed to produce a deal.
In its statement announcing the strike, SAG-AFTRA says that while agreements have been reached on many of the issues that it has raised, the hesitance of employers on the other side of the bargaining to give clear and plain, and importantly enforceable, protections to its video game performers has prevented a deal from being struck.
“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. 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,” states SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher in the message.
AI is naturally of huge concern to video game actors, who are reasonably worried about not only losing work to machine-generated audio but also giving up the rights to their own work and voices in order to secure future employment. The union wants, among things like wage increases in-line with inflation and general job safety, clear and enforceable protections around the use of AI.
SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland had said when the union voted in favour of strikes last year, “The voice and performance capture artists who bring video game characters to life deserve a contract that reflects the value they bring to the multibillion-dollar gaming industry.
“Voice and performance capture AI are already among the most advanced uses of AI: the threat is here and it is real. Without contractual protections, the employers are asking performers to unknowingly participate in the extinction of their artistry and livelihoods.”
SAG-AFTRA has resources on the strike available to read here and concerned members of the industry can search here to see if a video game production is currently struck here.