Latest news with #DuncanCrabtreeIreland
WIRED
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- WIRED
How Video Games Became the New Battleground for Actors and AI Protections
Jul 10, 2025 1:13 PM Voice actors ended their 11-month strike of the video game industry, but their fight against AI is only just beginning. Striking SAG-AFTRA video game performers picket near a Wonder Woman statue outside the WB Games Inc. offices in Burbank, California last August. Photograph:On Wednesday, members of the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, voted to ratify a new contract for video game performers, officially bringing an end to a nearly yearlong strike. A majority, 95 percent of members, voted in favor of the contract, which guarantees annual raises for three years, increased compensation, and guardrails designed to prevent game companies from giving their work to AI. Actors in the video game industry had been on strike for 11 months as part of a fight to secure protections against AI, a sticking point that held up negotiations for most of that time. Every other issue in the contract, including compensation and working conditions, was already resolved months ago, says SAG-AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. The strike was temporarily suspended in June, pending contract ratification. According to Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor who also serves as a SAG-AFTRA committee chair, actors in the games industry have been wearily eyeing AI for years—even before tools like ChatGPT exploded in use. 'We knew that this was the issue of most existential importance,' Elmaleh says. 'This is a medium that is fundamentally digitized.' Performers' work is crucial to game creation. Actors voice characters, help make those characters look more natural by doing motion capture, and even allow companies to use their likenesses. And though AI is impacting industries across the board, including animation, tech, education, and others, the video game industry has begun to feel those effects acutely. As part of the contract, consent and disclosure agreements are now required when any video game maker wants to use a performer's voice or likeness to make an AI-driven digital replica. Should performers go on strike, they are also allowed to suspend their approval for companies to generate any new material with AI. AI is already starting to replace flesh-and-blood actors, even in high-profile cases. In May, Fortnite introduced a generative AI version of Star Wars' Darth Vader. (Players disastrously had him saying swears and slurs in only a few hours. Fortnite maker Epic Games pushed a hotfix soon thereafter.) A few days later, SAG-AFTRA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Epic subsidiary Llama Productions. In a statement posted to SAG-AFTRA's website, the organization said replacing a human worker with AI was done 'without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms.' Darth Vader actor James Earl Jones gave permission to have his voice digitally recreated with AI before his death in 2024. Crabtree-Ireland would not comment on specific performers or contracts. However, he says that protections need to be applied consistently and with a 'reasonably specific' description of how their image or voice will be used. 'These provisions ensure that a deceased artist's image, voice and performance is treated with the same respect as a living artist's,' Crabtree-Ireland says. The companies that make video games, says Crabtree-Ireland, are on the cutting edge of AI technology. 'It was really important for us to draw this line,' he says, 'because we knew that the boundaries were going to be tested in the video game space earlier and more vigorously than they are in almost any other.' Companies SAG-AFTRA has been bargaining with include Activision, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, WB Games, and more. According to Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the bargaining group representing the companies involved, video game producers are pleased SAG-AFTRA members ratified the agreement. 'We look forward to building on our industry's decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide,' says Cooling. Game companies owe actors 'basic working conditions and decency,' says Elmaleh, pointing to the value actors add to games. 'Otherwise they wouldn't be here negotiating with us.' Elmaleh calls voice acting and motion capture 'a secret weapon' in a field where everything is digital. 'It imbues persuasiveness and immersion, reality and weight to the rest of the environment,' says Elmaleh, whose credits include blockbuster titles such as Fortnite , The Last of Us Part II , and Halo Infinite . 'It feels a bit foolhardy to kind of throw away that kind of superpower in your tool kit to immediately connect with players.' The fight in video games is a big one that may yet set the tone for other entertainment sectors. 'It's a huge industry that has a lot of impact,' Crabtree-Ireland says. 'It's an industry that has a very devoted fan base that crosses over with consumers and the other industries that our members work in … what we do in one contract impacts other contracts.' Working in lockstep with actors in the game sector will ultimately help future negotiations in other creative fields. Crabtree-Ireland says that he believes that they've yet to see the full boundaries on how AI will be used. 'Whatever is going to be done with AI technology,' he says, 'whether that's replicating human voices, human images, whether it's creating new synthetic performers—it needs to be done in an environment of respect to the performers that are involved.'
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Video Game Actors End Contract Dispute Over A.I.
After striking for nearly 11 months, actors approved a new contract with major video game studios on Wednesday night that addressed concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to create digital replicas. The agreement with SAG-AFTRA requires the companies behind some of the world's most popular games, including Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat and Apex Legends, to obtain the written consent of performers to create visual or vocal replicas. Studios must also pay performers for the use of replicas at a rate comparable to in-person work. 'I feel incredibly relieved,' said Jennifer Hale, a voice actor known for her work on Mass Effect, Overwatch and other games. 'I feel more confident that the work I do will not be abused or misused.' The deal, which was approved by more than 95 percent of voters, echoes a framework established during the union's strike against film and television studios two summers ago. 'Members can go to work and feel confident that the work they're doing today isn't going to harm their career tomorrow,' Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, said in an interview. Video games have long relied on human actors to perform dialogue or model the appearance of digital characters. Actors were worried that powerful generative A.I. software could be used to replicate or repurpose their work indefinitely without their involvement. In May, Fortnite unveiled an A.I.-powered Darth Vader who responds to players in the booming voice of James Earl Jones; before the actor died last year, he had agreed to let A.I. learn from his vocal performances. In addition to the A.I. guardrails, the union's new contract includes annual pay raises for members through 2027, as well as new safety measures, such as a requirement that a medic be present for hazardous action performances. The actors ended their strike last month after a tentative deal had been reached. A future strike would automatically suspend their consent for the use of digital replicas to generate new material. The bargaining group for video game studios included Activision, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Games and six other companies. Audrey Cooling, a spokeswoman for the group, said in a statement that it was pleased the deal delivered 'historic wage increases' and 'industry-leading A.I. protections.' 'We look forward to building on our industry's decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide,' the statement added. The actors went on strike last July after a lengthy effort to renegotiate a previous agreement that had expired in November 2022. The pay raises and safety measures had been agreed to by that point, leaving artificial intelligence as the sole dispute.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Officially Over as Members Ratify Agreement
SAG-AFTRA is putting its video game strike in the rearview mirror. Members of the performers' union have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a labor agreement with major interactive companies that was reached in early June. More than 95 percent of voting members supported the deal in a vote, while less than five percent voiced their opposition, SAG-AFTRA announced on Wednesday. More from The Hollywood Reporter RPG 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II' and Its Cinematic Cut Take the Karlovy Vary Spotlight CD Projekt Red Reveals 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2' at Anime Expo The First James Bond of the Amazon Era Is Young, Reckless, and a Playable Character The news officially puts an end to the union's video game strike, which stretched on from July 2024 to June 2025, when negotiators reached a tentative deal and SAG-AFTRA subsequently suspended its work stoppage. Overall, the agreement — whose predecessor originally expired in November 2022 — took an unusually long time, three years, to hammer out. But spanning 11 months, the union's strike wasn't anything to sniff at, either. The union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, nodded to the lengthy action in a statement. 'All of us at SAG-AFTRA would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the video game performers and allies who endured a great deal of sacrifice throughout the 11-month strike,' he said. 'Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important A.I. protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve.' During the strike, performance capture and voice actors ceased working for major companies like Activision Productions, Electronic Arts Productions and Insomniac Games. Disney Character Voices, Formosa Interactive, WB Games, Take 2 Productions, Blindlight and Llama Production were also subject to the labor action. The union framed the step as a necessary bulwark against their performers being exploited and undercut by AI. The sides had reached an agreement on 24 out of 25 proposals when SAG-AFTRA decided to walk away from the table in July 2024, a representative for the employers said at the time, with AI providing the breaking point. In a statement on Wednesday, the same representative for the video game firms extolled the agreement's changes to wages and language on A.I. and health and safety. 'We look forward to building on our industry's decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide,' spokesperson Audrey Cooling said. More to come. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Video game performers vote on contract that could end nearly 3-year battle over AI
SAG-AFTRA signage is seen on the side of the headquarters in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel,File) LOS ANGELES — Results from a union member vote on a tentative contract between video game performers and their employers are expected Wednesday evening. If ratified, the contract would formally end a nearly three-year effort from Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists negotiators to obtain a new contract for video game performers. The process, which included an 11-month strike against several major game makers, hinged on how artificial intelligence would affect performers in the industry. If approved, the agreement will deliver pay raises, control over performers' likenesses and artificial intelligence protections. The contract was first reached in early June between the union and an industry bargaining group consisting of several major video game companies, including divisions of Activision and Electronic Arts. The nearly year-long strike was suspended on June 11 and about 3,000 SAG-AFTRA members covered by the interactive media agreement have had since June 18 to vote. Results will be announced soon after the vote ends at 5 p.m. Pacific. The 11-month strike 'was a grueling and excruciating process, ' Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator said before the voting period closed. 'I hope and I believe that our members, when they look back on this, will say all of the sacrifices and difficulty we put ourselves through to achieve this agreement will ultimately be worth it because we do have the key elements that we need to feel confident and moving forward in this business,' Crabtree-Ireland said. The new contract secures 'industry-leading' AI protections, said Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal. The proposed contract delineates clear restrictions on when and how video game companies can create digital replicas, which use AI to generate new performances that weren't recorded by an actor. What's part of the tentative video game performers contract Employers must obtain written permission from a performer to create a digital replica — consent which must be granted during the performer's lifetime and is valid after death unless otherwise limited, the contract states. The time spent creating a digital replica will be compensated as work time, according to the agreement. The agreement also requires the employer to provide the performer with a usage report that details how the replica was used and calculates the expected compensation. The contract also secured an increase in performer compensation of just over 15 per cent upon ratification and an additional 3 per cent increase each year of the three-year contract. Increasing awareness and knowledge about the new AI provisions among union membership is crucial moving forward if the contract is ratified, Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor and chair of the union's interactive branch negotiating committee, told The Associated Press before the voting period closed. 'Actually applying these guardrails in our work is going to take members paying attention, understanding what they should look out for, being engaged with their union and reporting things that look fishy or that are actually violations,' she said. Itzel Luna, The Associated Press
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Video game performers vote on contract that could end nearly three-year-long battle over AI
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Results from a union member vote on a tentative contract between video game performers and their employers are expected Wednesday evening. If ratified, the contract would formally end a nearly three-year-long effort from Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists negotiators to obtain a new contract for video game performers. The process, which included an 11-month strike against several major game makers, hinged on how artificial intelligence would affect performers in the industry. If approved, the agreement will deliver pay raises, control over performers' likenesses and artificial intelligence protections. The contract was first reached in early June between the union and an industry bargaining group consisting of several major video game companies, including divisions of Activision and Electronic Arts. The nearly year-long strike was suspended on June 11 and about 3,000 SAG-AFTRA members covered by the interactive media agreement have had since June 18 to vote. Results will be announced soon after the vote ends at 5 p.m. Pacific. The 11-month strike 'was a grueling and excruciating process, ' Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator said before the voting period closed. 'I hope and I believe that our members, when they look back on this, will say all of the sacrifices and difficulty we put ourselves through to achieve this agreement will ultimately be worth it because we do have the key elements that we need to feel confident and moving forward in this business,' Crabtree-Ireland said. The new contract secures 'industry-leading' AI protections, said Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal. The proposed contract delineates clear restrictions on when and how video game companies can create digital replicas, which use AI to generate new performances that weren't recorded by an actor. What's part of the tentative video game performers contract Employers must obtain written permission from a performer to create a digital replica — consent which must be granted during the performer's lifetime and is valid after death unless otherwise limited, the contract states. The time spent creating a digital replica will be compensated as work time, according to the agreement. The agreement also requires the employer to provide the performer with a usage report that details how the replica was used and calculates the expected compensation. The contract also secured an increase in performer compensation of just over 15% upon ratification and an additional 3% increase each year of the three-year contract. Increasing awareness and knowledge about the new AI provisions among union membership is crucial moving forward if the contract is ratified, Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor and chair of the union's interactive branch negotiating committee, told The Associated Press before the voting period closed. 'Actually applying these guardrails in our work is going to take members paying attention, understanding what they should look out for, being engaged with their union and reporting things that look fishy or that are actually violations,' she said. Itzel Luna, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
