The Impact of AI On The Gaming Industry: SAG-AFTRA Strike Highlights Growing Concerns

Voice Actors Strike For AI Protections In The Gaming Industry

 

The gaming industry is in the midst of a significant upheaval as actors protest the burgeoning use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their field. Last week, voice actors organized a strike to highlight the potential threats AI poses to their careers, reigniting a broader debate about the entertainment industry’s adaptation to new technologies.

The Voices Behind the Characters

Jennifer Hale, a renowned voice actor known for roles like Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and Samus Aran in the Metroid titles, has been a prominent figure in this movement. Hale’s voice is her livelihood, and she is deeply concerned about the implications of AI.

“They see that the work of our souls is nothing more than a commodity to generate profits for them," Hale remarks, criticizing major gaming companies. "They don't see that they're crushing human beings beneath their feet in blind pursuit of money and profit. It's disgusting."

Hale has joined 2,500 members of the US actors union SAG-AFTRA in striking against companies like Activision, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, and EA. They are demanding protections around the use of AI, emphasizing the threat of AI-generated performances replacing human talent.

The Stakes for Voice Actors

Hale points out a troubling scenario: “They could, for example, take all my performances in a game, let's say Mass Effect, feed them into a machine, and not too long down the timeline, spit out an entirely new Mass Effect, with a performance that was entirely generated by AI.”

Concerns about AI were central to last year’s 118-day actors strike organized by SAG-AFTRA. While agreements were eventually reached with Hollywood studios for film and TV actors, the video game industry remains unresolved, leading to the current strike that began on July 25. Despite progress on several fronts, AI protections remain a major contention point.

Economic Realities

Despite the video game industry generating an estimated $189 billion in 2024, voice acting in games remains less lucrative compared to film and TV work. Hale, a single working mother, highlights the financial struggles: “I’m a single working mother who has bills to pay and a life to provide for my kid. As voice actors, we don't get paid star salaries. Under what they're proposing on the other side of this contract, they would pay me nothing.”

AI Protections and Industry Response

Audrey Cooling, a representative of the ten game companies negotiating with the union, stated, "Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA [Interactive Media Agreement]."

Hale acknowledges that not all game companies are problematic. Some are making deals that benefit all parties. “Anybody sitting in their basement, anywhere making a game can go to SAG and say, hey, my budget is small, I only have this much money. I really want to work with these good actors. What can I do? And SAG will say, absolutely, here you go, how big are you? Great, here's your structure."

A Wider Issue

Hale suggests that this strike reflects broader workplace anxieties about AI. “We actors are the canary in the coal mine. You can see them coming for us, but if they dismiss it, if it gets swept under the rug because we're just performers, what does that mean?”

Global Solidarity and Implications

John Barclay, assistant general secretary of the UK actor’s union Equity, expressed solidarity with SAG-AFTRA. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with SAG-AFTRA as partners in a global fight to secure fair pay and protect our members’ rights, which could not be more urgent as we move forward with artificial intelligence innovation.”

However, UK actors face different strike regulations. Equity members aren’t striking, and neither will UK members of SAG-AFTRA be compelled to. Actor David Menkin, who has voiced Luke Skywalker in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, explains: “Here in the UK, we don't have a mutually agreed contract between the union Equity and the producers that make these games. So therefore, even if you're SAG-AFTRA but you were hired on a UK-based contract, you can't stop, you cannot strike, you cannot leave the production, you have to fulfil everything in your contract.”

Menkin worries that US companies might sidestep striking American actors by hiring British talent. “All we can do is make sure that if the work is dumped in the UK, that we are making sure that UK-based actors are fully informed.”

Looking Ahead

As the US strike continues, Jennifer Hale hopes that long-term creative interests will ultimately prevail over short-term commercial gains. “I hope they see that we are all in this together. I don't understand why they're willing to kill us all off to increase things a few percentage points. It makes no sense to me."

The future of AI in the gaming industry remains uncertain, but the actions of voice actors like Jennifer Hale may shape how the industry balances technological advancements with the protection of human creativity and livelihoods.

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Source: BBC

Photo Credit: AI

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