"AI protections remain the sticking point" for today’s SAG-AFTRA game actor strike

rockpapershotgun.com:

As of today, the The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has called a strike of the Interactive Media Agreement - effectively, video game voice acting, motion capture work, and other roles, the full list of which can be found here. The strike comes after over 18 months of negotiations with some of gaming’s largest companies - including Activision, EA, Insomniac, Take-Two, and WB Games - over AI protections.

"Any game looking to employ SAG-AFTRA talent to perform covered work must sign on" to agreements specified in a post by the guild, “These agreements offer critical AI protections for members."

"We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members," said president Fran Drescher. "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."

"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," said national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. "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 AI use of their faces, voices, and bodies."

"Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable AI protections, but rather flagrant exploitation," said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "We will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer. We look forward to collaborating with teams on our Interim and Independent contracts, which provide AI transparency, consent and compensation to all