SAG-AFTRA, the major labour union in the USA, is reportedly inclined to go on a strike against video game companies after negotiations on the use of AI recently broke down. SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has also given a time range between each strike that is likely to go ahead. Here are the details around the next move from SAG-AFTRA including the possible strike.
During a Q&A session at SXSW in Austin, Texas (via Variety), Crabtree-Ireland said that the chances for a strike against video game companies are “50-50, or more likely”. He derived a probability to explain the chances of a strike commencing in the next four to six weeks.
During the @ilo‘s Governing Body meeting, SAG-AFTRA NED & Chief Negotiator @DuncanCI speaks to the assembled governments & employers. He urged them to enact policies that respect creative rights & the principles of informed consent & fair compensation with respect to A.I. pic.twitter.com/Sc4LWpLXvH
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) March 11, 2024
The SAG-AFTRA already held a vote last year for a strike against the video game industry. The members of the SAG-AFTRA overwhelmingly supported the strike. The vote, conducted in September 2023, had 98.32% of members who wanted the strike to commence.
A strike has not happened since, but the union is planning for it due to its members’ vulnerability to AI. Crabtree-Ireland said, “We want to make sure the implementation [of AI] is human-centred and focused on augmentation [of production], not replacement of people.”
SAG-AFTRA going on a strike will directly affect Activision, EA, Insomniac Games, Warner Bros. Games, Disney Character Voices International, Blindlight, Formosa Interactive, Take 2 Productions, and VoiceWorks Productions.
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator @DuncanCI dives into the world of A.I. and deepfakes at a #SXSW2024 fireside chat. #TechTalk pic.twitter.com/gM753VEOdI
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) March 11, 2024
“We don’t want to go on strike, but we’re not going to make deals with these companies that don’t protect our members from abusive and exploitative uses of AI”, added Crabtree-Ireland.
The talks of a strike come after the announcement in January 2024 that SAG-AFTRA reached an agreement with AI voice technology company Replica Studios that allows game developers to access union members’ work through Replica under a “fair, ethical agreement to safely create and licence a digital replica of their voice”. However, this agreement left many actors feeling worried and blindsided.
