- Video game actors go on strike over AI
- The strike comes after a year and a half of negotiations between the companies and a union representing over 2,500 video game performers
- Both sides have agreed on key issues such as wages and job safety, but AI protections remain a major sticking point
Video game actors go on strike over AI
Major video game companies, including Activision, Warner Bros, and Walt Disney, face a strike by Hollywood performers over the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The strike comes after a year and a half of negotiations between the companies and a union representing over 2,500 video game performers.
Both sides have agreed on key issues such as wages and job safety, but AI protections remain a major sticking point. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which organised last year’s Hollywood strike, called for the action. Performers are concerned that gaming studios might use AI to replicate their voices and appearances without fair compensation.
Video game studios argue they have already made sufficient concessions. The Interactive Media Agreement, covering voiceover and on-camera work for video games, expired in November 2022 and has been extended monthly during negotiations.
“We are disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal,” said Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the 10 video game producers negotiating with Sag-Aftra.
“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 [Interactive Media Agreement],” she added.
Last year, SAG-AFTRA’s strike won TV and film actors $1 billion in new pay and benefits and AI safeguards. The 118-day strike was the longest in the union’s history, severely disrupting film and TV production and costing California’s economy over $6.5 billion.