Current:Home > InvestVideo game performers will go on strike over artificial intelligence concerns -FundWay
Video game performers will go on strike over artificial intelligence concerns
View
Date:2025-04-26 05:31:48
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood’s video game performers voted to go on strike Thursday, throwing part of the entertainment industry into another work stoppage after talks for a new contract with major game studios broke down over artificial intelligence protections.
The strike — the second for video game voice actors and motion capture performers under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists — will begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday. The move comes after nearly two years of negotiations with gaming giants, including divisions of Activision, Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Co., over a new interactive media agreement.
SAG-AFTRA negotiators say gains have been made over wages and job safety in the video game contract, but that the studios will not make a deal over the regulation of generative AI. Without guardrails, game companies could train AI to replicate an actor’s voice, or create a digital replica of their likeness without consent or fair compensation, the union said.
Fran Drescher, the union’s president, said in a prepared statement that members would not approve a contract that would allow companies to “abuse AI.”
“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,” Drescher said.
A representative for the studios did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The global video game industry generates well over $100 billion dollars in profit annually, according to game market forecaster Newzoo. The people who design and bring those games to life are the driving force behind that success, SAG-AFTRA said.
“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.
Last month, union negotiators told The Associated Press that the game studios refused to “provide an equal level of protection from the dangers of AI for all our members” — specifically, movement performers.
Members voted overwhelmingly last year to give leadership the authority to strike. Concerns about how movie studios will use AI helped fuel last year’s film and television strikes by the union, which lasted four months.
The last interactive contract, which expired November 2022, did not provide protections around AI but secured a bonus compensation structure for voice actors and performance capture artists after an 11-month strike that began October 2016. That work stoppage marked the first major labor action from SAG-AFTRA following the merger of Hollywood’s two largest actors unions in 2012.
The video game agreement covers more than 2,500 “off-camera (voiceover) performers, on-camera (motion capture, stunt) performers, stunt coordinators, singers, dancers, puppeteers, and background performers,” according to the union.
Amid the tense interactive negotiations, SAG-AFTRA created a separate contract in February that covered indie and lower-budget video game projects. The tiered-budget independent interactive media agreement contains some of the protections on AI that video game industry titans have rejected.
veryGood! (6581)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Bruce Springsteen’s Wife Patti Scialfa Shares Blood Cancer Diagnosis
- Nicole Kidman misses Venice best actress win after mom's death: 'I'm in shock'
- Orlando Bloom says dramatic weight loss for 'The Cut' role made him 'very hangry'
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Dairy Queen offers limited-time BOGO deal on Blizzards: How to redeem the offer
- Selena Gomez Says She Can't Carry Her Own Children Amid Health Journey
- Joe Manganiello and Girlfriend Caitlin O'Connor Make Marvelous Red Carpet Appearance
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Judge orders psychological evaluation for white homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Tom Brady's broadcast debut draws mixed reviews. Here's reactions from NFL fans
- Here's every Super Bowl halftime performer by year as Kendrick Lamar is tapped for 2025
- Authorities vow relentless search as manhunt for interstate shooter enters third day in Kentucky
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Shailene Woodley Shares Outlook on Love 2 Years After Aaron Rodgers Breakup
- Justin Fields hasn't sparked a Steelers QB controversy just yet – but stay tuned
- Egg recall is linked to a salmonella outbreak, CDC says: See which states are impacted
Recommendation
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
JoJo Siwa Is a Literal Furball in Jaw-Dropping New York Fashion Week Look
Powerball winning numbers for September 7: Jackpot climbs to $112 million
Google faces new antitrust trial after ruling declaring search engine a monopoly
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Los Angeles Chargers defeat Las Vegas Raiders in Jim Harbaugh's coaching debut with team
Orlando Bloom says dramatic weight loss for 'The Cut' role made him 'very hangry'
Bruce Springsteen's wife Patti Scialfa reveals blood cancer diagnosis