Latest news with #ScreenActorsGuild-AmericanFederationofTelevisionandRadioArtists
7 days ago
- Entertainment
Video game performers vote on contract that could end nearly 3-year battle over AI
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. 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.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA, video game companies reach tentative deal that would end strike
Video game performers and producers have hammered out a tentative contract agreement, reaching terms that could end a nearly year-long strike over artificial intelligence. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the game companies came to a resolution on Monday, more than two years after their previous agreement covering interactive media expired. The walkout began last July. The deal is subject to review and approval by the SAG-AFTRA National Board and ratification by the membership in the coming weeks, the union said. Specific terms of the deal were not immediately available. Terms of a strike suspension agreement are expected to be finalized with employers soon, the union said. Until then, though, SAG-AFTRA members will remain on strike. SAG-AFTRA members also must vote to ratify the new contract, which covers roughly 2,600 performers doing voice-acting, performance- and motion-capture work in the video game industry. Read more: SAG-AFTRA, video game companies resuming negotiations as actors' strike continues The proposed agreement would cover guild work for major industry players, including Activision Productions Inc., Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games Inc. and Take 2 Productions Inc. Since the fall of 2022, video game performers have been fighting for a new contract containing AI protections, wage increases to keep up with inflation, more rest periods and medical attention for hazardous jobs. Game actors went on strike in late July after contract talks broke down over AI. Throughout the walkout, performers demanded a deal that would require video game producers to obtain informed consent before replicating their voices, likenesses or movements with AI. Read more: Video game actors are on strike. Here's what that means During the first few months of the strike, SAG-AFTRA reached numerous side deals with individual game companies that agreed to follow the union's AI rules in exchange for a strike pardon. By Nov. 18, the labor organization announced that it had made AI pacts with the developers of 130 different video games. 'The sheer volume of companies that have signed SAG-AFTRA agreements demonstrates how reasonable those protections are,' Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the union's video game negotiating committee, said in a statement in September. While some companies earned the union's approval, others felt its wrath. Halfway through October, SAG-AFTRA added the popular computer game "League of Legends" to its list of struck titles in an effort to punish audio company Formosa Interactive for allegedly violating terms of the walkout. SAG-AFTRA also filed an unfair labor practice charge against Formosa, which provides voice-over services to 'League of Legends,' according to the union. Formosa denied SAG-AFTRA's allegations. Read more: Striking video game actors hit picket lines over AI: 'The human element is irreplaceable' The biggest sticking point for actors under the umbrella of AI involved on-camera performers, whose job is often to disappear into the characters they are bringing to life. They expressed concerns that the companies' AI proposal would leave them defenseless against the technology. The game companies argued that their AI proposal already contained robust protections that would require employers to seek prior consent and pay actors fairly when cloning their performances. 'All performers need AI protections,' said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, in an interview with The Times months ago. 'Everyone's at risk, and it's not OK to carve out a set of performers and leave them out of AI protections.' This work stoppage marked SAG-AFTRA's second video game strike in less than a decade and second overall strike in roughly a year. While the walkout persisted, video game performers weren't allowed to provide any services — such as acting, singing, stunts, motion capture, background and stand-in work — to struck games. Union actors were also barred from promoting any struck projects via social media, interviews, conventions, festivals, award shows, podcast appearances and other platforms. AI was also a major sticking point during the film and TV actors' strike of 2023. That walkout culminated in a contract mandating that producers obtain consent from and compensate performers when using their digital replica. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Video game performers on strike for almost a year over AI issues reach a tentative deal
The union for Hollywood's video game performers has reached a tentative contract with several video game companies that may bring an end to an almost year-long strike tied to the use of artificial intelligence. Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on strike in July 2024 after negotiations with game industry giants came to a halt over artificial intelligence protections . SAG-AFTRA said that the unregulated use of AI posed "an equal or even greater threat" to performers in the video game industry than it does in film and television because the capacity to cheaply and easily create convincing digital replicas of performers' voices is widely available. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The performers were worried that unchecked use of AI could provide game makers with a means to displace them - by training an AI to replicate an actor's voice, or to create a digital replica of their likeness without consent. "Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary AI guardrails that defend performers' livelihoods in the AI age, alongside other important gains," SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. Live Events The union had been negotiating with an industry bargaining group consisting of signatory video game companies, including divisions of Activision and Electronic Arts. Those companies include Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories SAG-AFTRA said that it anticipates that the terms of a strike suspension agreement will be finalized with the companies soon. Union members will remain on strike until such an agreement is reached. The tentative contract deal still needs approval by the National Board and ratification by union membership. Video game performers had previously gone on strike in October 2016, with a tentative deal reached 11 months later, in September 2017. That strike helped secure a bonus compensation structure for voice actors and performance capture artists.
Los Angeles Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
SAG-AFTRA, video game companies reach tentative deal that would end strike
Video game performers and producers have reached a tentative contract agreement, reaching terms that could end a long strike over artificial intelligence. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the game companies came to a resolution on Monday, more than two years after their previous agreement covering interactive media expired. The deal is subject to review and approval by the SAG-AFTRA National Board and ratification by the membership in the coming weeks, the union said. Specific terms of the deal were not immediately available. Terms of a strike suspension agreement are expected to be finalized with employers soon, the union said. Until then, though, SAG-AFTRA members will remain on strike. SAG-AFTRA members must vote on whether to ratify the new contract, which covers roughly 2,600 performers doing voice-acting, performance- and motion-capture work in the video game industry. Since fall 2022, video game performers have been fighting for a new contract containing AI protections, wage increases to keep up with inflation, more rest periods and medical attention for hazardous jobs. Game actors went on strike in late July after contract talks broke down over AI. Throughout the walkout, performers demanded a deal that would require video game producers to obtain informed consent before replicating their voices, likenesses or movements with AI. During the first few months of the strike, SAG-AFTRA reached numerous side deals with individual game companies that agreed to follow the union's AI rules in exchange for a strike pardon. By Nov. 18, the labor organization announced that it had made AI pacts with the developers of 130 different video games. 'The sheer volume of companies that have signed SAG-AFTRA agreements demonstrates how reasonable those protections are,' Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the union's video game negotiating committee, said in a statement in September. While some companies earned the union's approval, others felt its wrath. Halfway through October, SAG-AFTRA added the popular computer game 'League of Legends' to its list of struck titles in an effort to punish audio company Formosa Interactive for allegedly violating terms of the walkout. SAG-AFTRA also filed an unfair labor practice charge against Formosa, which provides voice-over services to 'League of Legends,' according to the union. Formosa denied SAG-AFTRA's allegations. The biggest sticking point for actors under the umbrella of AI involved on-camera performers, whose job is often to disappear into the characters they are bringing to life. They expressed concerns that the companies' AI proposal would leave them defenseless against the technology. The game companies argued that their AI proposal already contained robust protections that would require employers to seek prior consent and pay actors fairly when cloning their performances. 'All performers need AI protections,' said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, in an interview with The Times months ago. 'Everyone's at risk, and it's not OK to carve out a set of performers and leave them out of AI protections.' This work stoppage marked SAG-AFTRA's second video game strike in less than a decade and second overall strike in roughly a year. While the walkout persisted, video game performers weren't allowed to provide any services — such as acting, singing, stunts, motion capture, background and stand-in work — to struck games. Union actors were also barred from promoting any struck projects via social media, interviews, conventions, festivals, award shows, podcast appearances and other platforms. AI was also a major sticking point during the film and TV actors' strike of 2023. That walkout culminated in a contract mandating that producers obtain consent from and compensate performers when using their digital replica.
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
SAG-AFTRA files unfair labor practice charge over use of AI to make Darth Vader's voice in Fortnite
Hollywood's actors' union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Llama Productions on Monday, alleging the company replaced actors' work by using artificial intelligence to generate Darth Vader's voice in Fortnite without notice. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said Llama Productions, a subsidiary of gaming giant Epic Games, 'failed and refused to bargain in good faith with the union' in the last six months. The company made unilateral changes to the terms and conditions of employment 'without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain' by using AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work, SAG-AFTRA Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union's interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA said the union supports the rights of members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas. 'However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games,' the union said.
