As you may already know, the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) union closed ranks and announced a strike last summer to draw attention from major studios and publishers, demanding not only improvements for their guild but guarantees to keep generative AI away from their work. Now, two months after the start of this movement, the union has announced a significant agreement to protect video game actors from the misuse of artificial intelligence in the industry and specifically in 80 video game licenses.
The announcement comes after the news that Lightspeed LA agreed to produce games like Last Sentinel under the SAG-AFTRA’s Provisional Interactive Media Agreement. This agreement is part of the union’s efforts to ensure that game developers implement appropriate safeguards for the protection of human talent, especially regarding AI. However, specific details about AI protections have not been fully disclosed yet.
This significant step forward has been signed by eighty video game representatives (publishers and developers) under the so-called provisional or tiered budget agreements, which, according to the union, demonstrate that the provisions included, such as protections against AI, are fair and achievable. Unfortunately, this does not mean that the strike that began in July has ended, but it allows members to work while negotiations continue.
SAG-AFTRA continues its crusade against AI and precarious work
According to VentureBeat’s statement, the name of those games and their companies has not been disclosed yet. However, several game development studios have unanimously expressed their support for this agreement. Little Bat Games, for example, expressed satisfaction in collaborating with SAG-AFTRA, ensuring that “voice actors receive adequate compensation and protection.” Likewise, developer Francisco Gonzalez, a former developer of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, also voiced support for the actors during the strike, emphasizing the importance of securing protections against AI.
Image: The Hollywood Reporter
Sarah Elmaleh, Chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee, emphasized the importance of these labor actions. According to Elmaleh, the large number of companies that have signed the agreements demonstrates how reasonable the AI protections proposed by the union are. Additionally, SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, praised the companies that have signed, arguing that these agreements preserve “human art, ingenuity, and creativity” in interactive storytelling.
The SAG-AFTRA video game strike, which began on July 26 after over 18 months of unsuccessful negotiations, is ongoing. Game developers rejected the union’s proposals regarding consent and compensation related to the use of AI, leading to the current labor stoppage. Nevertheless, this provisional agreement shows that there is hope that the industry is willing to implement reasonable safeguards to protect the work of actors.
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