Video Game Actors Strike Over AI

by Danica Davidson
July 26, 2024

The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (often referred to as the abbreviation SAG-AFTRA) has officially called for a strike in regards to video game work. The strike is about protecting union actors from artificial intelligence hurting their careers.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher explained, “Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation. We refuse this paradigm – 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 A.I. transparency, consent and compensation to all performers, and to continuing to negotiate in good faith with this bargaining group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve.”

SAG-AFTRA is attempting to negotiate with Disney Character Voices Inc., Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc, among others.

The union wants game companies to sign the Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interim Interactive Media Agreement or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement, which are meant to protect actors. It noted that it started negotiations in October 2022, called for a previous strike in September 2023, and while it’s gotten some of what it wants, SAG-AFTRA says there is still the issue that “the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their A.I. language.”

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year – that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that.”

Source: SAG-AFTRA

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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.