Published Date: 26/07/2024
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has announced a strike over artificial intelligence (AI) concerns, throwing the video game industry into turmoil. "The video game industry is facing a major disruption as Hollywood's video game performers have voted to go on strike over concerns related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The strike, which begins on Friday, comes after nearly two years of negotiations with major game studios broke down over the regulation of generative AI.
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing the video game performers, has been seeking protections against the misuse of AI, which could be used to replicate an actor's voice or create a digital replica of their likeness without consent or fair compensation. However, the game studios have refused to agree to these demands, leading to the strike.
Q: What is the main reason for the strike?
A: The main reason for the strike is the disagreement over the regulation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the video game industry.
Q: How many performers will be affected by the strike?
A: Over 2,500 performers will be affected by the strike, including voice actors, motion capture artists, stunt coordinators, singers, dancers, puppeteers, and background performers.
Q: What is the estimated annual profit of the video game industry?
A: The video game industry generates over $100 billion in profit annually.
Q: Has SAG-AFTRA gone on strike over AI concerns before?
A: Yes, SAG-AFTRA's film and television strikes last year were also fueled by concerns about the use of AI.
Q: What is the tiered-budget independent interactive media agreement?
A: The tiered-budget independent interactive media agreement is a separate contract created by SAG-AFTRA that covers indie and lower-budget video game projects and contains some of the protections on AI that the video game industry titans have rejected.