The actors union SAG-AFTRA, which represents Voice Actors across multiple industries as well as mo-cap performers, has agreed to a deal involving AI which they are calling “Groundbreaking.” This comes only a few days into a year following a strike by members of the union with AI at the forefront of the issues they were striking against.
A press release from SAG-AFTRA stated:
The agreement between the leading AI voice company and the world’s largest performers’ union will enable Replica to engage SAG-AFTRA members under a fair, ethical agreement to safely create and license a digital replica of their voice.
Union President Fran Drescher, probably better known to people for her role on The Nanny, added:
We are so happy to partner with Replica Studios, because this is a great example of AI being done right.
Members of the SAG-AFTRA union, in particular Voice actors that can be potentially affected by this, have been quick to state that they were not consulted on this deal nor are they aware of talent who were. This is despite the union claiming this was “approved by affected members of the union’s voiceover performer community.”
Replica announced the news via their X account, inviting people to look at their process, saying:
We can’t wait to show you what’s possible here for consent, contracts, and compensation. We’re not only concerned with those 3Cs, but also keen to make creativity and narrative storytelling more immersive and engaging to benefit the voice talent, the game studio, and the consumer.
The issue with all of this is that the industry spent most of the last year attempting to keep AI from having a larger impact on the industry. A strike was authorized in September in case a suitable deal could be reached (different than the strikes that did take place last year) which has yet to come to fruition. This deal, in that regard, does not seem to be related to that strike and was announced during CES 2024, an industry event held every year.
As part of the Film and TV strikes last year, a key component was studios being able to create an AI replica of an actor, only needing to pay that actor for a day’s work before a studio could use that likeness forever with no additional payment. This was never explicitly banned when a deal was reached, but SAG-AFTRA was able to bargain for more control over the AI replicas used by the actor and for a film intent on using full AI to notify the guild so they had an opportunity to push for real actors.
AI has already been used in games with Free-To-Play Shooter The Finals receiving criticism for using AI for its announcers. With inflated costs in development and industry-wide layoffs, the appeal of AI as a development tool has become more enticing. Last week, for instance, developer Square Enix President made clear the company would push heavily into AI as part of his annual New Year letter.
Either way, voice actors do not want this at all despite what SAG-AFTRA has to say. This may be good for publishers, always looking to save money, but I cannot imagine the use of AI can have a positive effect on the industry overall.
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