In 2023, members of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on strike. The protest happened two months after the Writer’s Strike in Hollywood. With the introduction of AI in the media, artists in the community rose to protect their worth against the usage of AI in media.
On Nov. 9, 2023, the strike ended. Despite a conclusion, there was speculation about how the agreement would hold up due to studios’ copyright laws and contracts. The speculation proved to be insightful as a year later, the SAG-AFTRA union is striking again.
SAG-AFTRA members went on strike on July 26, 2024, due to complications in the video game industry. The strike is backed by a labor issue with AI, which started in 2023 as well. Union members believe there is unregulated use of AI, and it is a threat to their jobs as voice actors. This agreement covers more than 2,500 performers.
The union has not walked away from all performers, but they have chosen which video game companies to boycott. This includes 10 companies: Activism Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc. and WB Games Inc.
This strike took place during Comic-Con 2024, but the SAG-AFTRA actors were allowed to participate in this event. Some members felt this was a good chance to spread awareness about their issue and get video game players to rise with them.
The issue with AI usage with voice is that studios can use the voices of real actors for words and characters without their approval. One member of the union, Jasiri Booker, stated that they are not against the use of AI, only “...please inform us and allow us to consent to the performance that you are generating with our AI doubles.” Without consent, AI usage could lead to fraud and identity theft.
Studios and actors have yet to reach an agreement because there are copyright laws that are not clear on whether or not voices can be owned or if they are just sounds. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals states that a voice cannot be owned because the sounds are not “fixed” or distinguishable enough.
Another non-distinct part of actors is their likeness, which AI can replicate as well. While likeness and personality are technically copyrighted, laws are not equipped to protect the likeness of a person. Likeness and voice are difficult to prove they are owned which makes it hard for actors to battle AI.
Another problem with AI working with the industry is that it takes jobs away from less-experienced actors. Even if studios use real people for the main roles, they can still easily use AI to fill in for less important characters without anyone noticing. This leads to actors not being able to get the experience they need in the industry and failing to break out and take more mainstream roles.
The SAG-AFTRA website states that they are still on strike against the video game industry. They have released statements against the companies and have laid out the terms of their strike in the hopes that all of the members understand the cause they are fighting for. They hope to remove loopholes and digital replicas of themselves. The union and video game companies will have to wait and see how this affects video game production as well as the future use of AI for voice.
