SAG-AFTRA video game performers will initiate a strike starting Friday due to concerns over AI “loopholes.”
The strike will commence at 12:01 AM on Friday, involving video game voice actors and motion capture performers represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists over issues related to artificial intelligence protections.
This marks the second strike for SAG-AFTRA video game performers. Although the union acknowledges improvements in wages and job security within video game contracts, AI’s impact on interactive media continues to raise significant concerns.
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SAG-AFTRA Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez stated at a press conference on Thursday that some performers’ contributions might be classified as “data” according to current AI guidelines.
“We strike only as a last resort. We have allowed this process ample time, and we’ve exhausted all other options, which is why we’re taking this step now,” Rodriguez remarked.
SAG-AFTRA leaders Iris Liu, left, and Miki Yamashita, center, along with chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, rally for striking actors outside Paramount Picture studios on November 3, 2023, in Los Angeles. Video game performers in Hollywood voted to strike on July 25, 2024, following stalled negotiations for a new contract regarding AI protections with major game studios. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The strike follows nearly two years of negotiations with game developers including Warner Brothers and the Walt Disney Company.
SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee indicated to the AP that the term “performer” may have differing interpretations between the union and gaming companies.
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Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the involved gaming companies, stated to the AP that their proposal “provides substantial AI protections.”
Cooling expressed disappointment, stating, “We are disheartened that the union has opted to abandon negotiations when we were so close to finalizing a deal, and we stand ready to resume discussions.”
Ari Fromm, left, portraying “Todd” from “Bojack Horseman,” alongside their dog “Mr. Peanutbutter,” and Cameron Laventure, as “Link” from the video game “The Legend of Zelda,” participate in the SAG-AFTRA picket outside Netflix in Los Angeles, CA on October 31, 2023. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Actor Andi Norris told the AP, “The performers who contribute their skills to these games create a diverse array of characters, and all nuances of that work need protection. Their proposal risks excluding anything that doesn’t look or sound precisely like me, despite the fact that I can embody a range of roles, from a zombie to a soldier to a zombie soldier on any given week.”
“We cannot and will not accept the notion that a stunt or movement performer giving an entirely dedicated performance on stage alongside a voice actor isn’t recognized as a performer,” Norris contended.
SAG-AFTRA estimates that the video game agreement encompasses 2,500 “off-camera (voiceover) performers, on-camera (motion capture, stunt) performers, stunt coordinators, singers, dancers, puppeteers, and background performers.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
