SAG-AFTRA is placing in opposition to online game publishers to guard actors from being exploited with the assistance of synthetic intelligence.

After a yr and a half of negotiations a deal has not been reached. The union desires to make sure that synthetic intelligence shouldn’t be used as a tactic to benefit from actors in main video games. SAG-AFTRA famous of their assertion, “The convenience bargaining group with whom SAG-AFTRA is negotiating includes Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., Voice Works Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.”

They said on their web site, “SAG-AFTRA members who perform in video games are going on strike against all video game companies signed to the Interactive Media Agreement, effective 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 26 [called by Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator].”

Duncan revealed, “The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies.”

In an Instagram put up shared on Thursday, July 25, followers of the neighborhood shared their opinions on the matter. “This is getting out of hand with the idea of AI replacing actors and VO actors… AI cannot duplicate the fragility of the human condition in a way a human can,” one consumer commented.

This comes shortly after the union had been on strike for 118 days in opposition to the Alliance Motion Picture and Television Producers. The motion got here to an finish in November 2023 when an answer was reached: “We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers…Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”