SAG-AFTRA is reportedly 50-50 on launching a strike against the gaming industry's biggest companies over failed negotiations over the use of artificial intelligence (AI).According to reports varietySAG-AFTRA Secretary Duncan Crabtree-Ireland recently took to the stage at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and confirmed that the AI issue in video game contracts is still unresolved.
In response to a question during a question-and-answer session, Crabtree-Ireland said: “There is a 50-50 chance, if not more, that we will go on strike within the next four to six weeks because we cannot resolve these issues.” Ta.
SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating with video game companies for months to better regulate the use of AI and give actors in video games better control over the use and reproduction of their likenesses and voices. I've been doing it.
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Key companies involved in negotiations include Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, VoiceWorks Productions, and WB Games. All of these companies utilize the services of SAG-AFTRA affiliates. In previous video games.
SAG-AFTRA Chairman Fran Drescher said of the September 2023 negotiations, “The time has come for video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about agreeing to this deal.”
“Our members understand the existential nature of these negotiations, and we understand that these companies, who make billions of dollars and pay their CEOs lavishly, are not willing to pay our performers. , I understand that the time has come to give me a contract to continue appearing in video games as a viable career.”
Several months have passed and several rounds of negotiations have taken place, but it appears that no new agreement has been reached yet. According to Crabtree-Ireland, AI remains a core issue and the reason SAG-AFTRA has been unable to strike new deals with major video game companies.
“We want to make sure the implementation is human-centered and focused on scaling. [of production]It doesn't replace people,” Crabtree-Ireland said at SXSW. SAG-AFTRA is not trying to prevent companies from adopting AI, but rather to negotiate a better relationship with the technology going forward.
A strike has already been formally authorized within SAG-AFTRA and could occur in the coming weeks. For major video game productions that rely on SAG-AFTRA union members, this is a thorny issue that could mean a pause in development and change the landscape of contract negotiations.
