Video gamers will strike out because of AI concerns

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The SAG-AFTRA union today went on strike against several video game publishers after failing to reach an agreement on the use of AI. The action will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on July 26.

“We will not accept a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “Enough is enough. We live — and work — too. We'll be here, ready to negotiate.”

SAG-AFTRA performers who work in sports “deserve and demand the same basic protections as actors in film, television, broadcasting, and music: fair compensation and the right to consent to the use of AI of their faces, voices and bodies,” it said. National Association Executive Director and Spokesperson Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

The union has been lobbying the video game industry to agree to protections against its members' likenesses and AI-reproduced voices. SAG-AFTRA entered into negotiations with the companies for an Interactive Media Agreement in October 2022. Other studios, , have agreed to a union contract. The union won a similar deal earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the game companies included in the Interactive Media Agreement, Audrey Cooling, provided a statement on behalf of the businesses. “We are disappointed that the union has chosen to leave as we are so close to an agreement, and we are still determined to continue negotiations,” he said. wage increases and additional security provisions. Our provision responds directly to SAG-AFTRA's concerns and extends reasonable AI protections including requiring consent and fair compensation to all actors working under the IMA. These names are among the strongest in the entertainment industry.”

The strike includes the following studios: