Actors Are Now Striking Against Video Game Companies Over AI

Well, everyone: It’s time to get back on the picket line. SAG-AFTRA is now striking against video game companies.

Last year, Hollywood came to a grinding halt when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for better wages, stronger benefits, and proper compensation (including residuals) for streaming content.

But this massive, six-month strike also targeted something more sinister. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA had deep concerns about AI straight-up stealing their jobs. Studios allegedly wanted to pay background actors a flat, one-time fee to scan their bodies, then use and reproduce their likeness forever—possibly even in death.

Now, they’re standing up against AI abuse in the video game industry.

On Thursday, SAG-AFTRA-protected video game performers authorized another strike—with a 98.32 percent “yes” vote—this time against gaming giants including Warner Bros., Activision, and others after nearly two years of negotiations for a new interactive media agreement. Essentially, video game performers want game developers and publishers to regulate AI usage so performers’ voices, likenesses, and movements cannot be digitally replicated without their consent or without proper compensation.

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

“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 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 AI 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.”

The Associated Press reports that the last interactive media contract expired in November 2022. It didn’t provide protections against AI, but following an 11-month strike by voice actors and video game performers, it did secure a bonus compensation structure. The new strike, which starts Friday, marks the second time video game voice actors and motion capture performers have authorized a strike since SAG-AFTRA joined forces in 2012. More than 2,500 union members are covered under the video game agreement, according to the union.

In its statement, SAG-AFTRA said, “Any game looking to employ SAG-AFTRA talent to perform covered work must sign on to the new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interim Interactive Media Agreement or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement. These agreements offer critical AI protections for members.”

What they’re asking for shouldn’t be controversial, but we’ve already seen examples of companies using AI to mimic real people’s voices. Earlier this year, Sam Altman’s OpenAI—the tech company behind ChatGPT—made headlines for allegedly using Scarlett Johansson’s voice as the basis for its updated ChatGPT client, “Sky.” Unfortunately for Altman, Johansson immediately released a statement claiming she had rejected OpenAI’s offer to hire her to voice Sky, but the company did it anyway.

“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson said. “Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word, ‘her’—a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.”

Altman refuted the claims but halted use of the Sky voice in OpenAI products. This is just one example of how AI has begun to run rampant over people’s lives, from plagiarizing authors to stealing art for generative content. Realistically, we are all fighting against AI, especially in the US where there is no federal legislation or regulation in place to combat AI theft.

This strike will impact the future of video games and video game performers. We stand in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA in its fight for job protections and strict condemnation of unethical use of AI technology.