TLDR:
- The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has announced a deal with Replica Studios to license digital replicas of actors’ voices for use in video games.
- While SAG-AFTRA claims that the deal was approved by affected members of the union’s voice-over performer community, some prominent gaming voice actors feel blindsided and furious over the agreement.
- SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher sees the deal as a great example of AI being done right, but dissenting voices question why the contract was approved without a vote from members.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has revealed a deal with artificial intelligence gaming company Replica Studios, allowing the licensing of digital replicas of actors’ voices for use in video games. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, enables Replica to work with voice actors in the union to create and license digital replicas of performers’ voices. SAG-AFTRA claims that the deal has the approval of affected members of the union’s voice-over performer community. However, some prominent gaming voice actors, including Steve Blum and Andrew Russell, have expressed anger and disappointment over the agreement, feeling that they were blindsided and that the deal was approved without their consent. Some also question why a vote from members was not required. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, on the other hand, sees the deal as an example of AI being done right. The tension over this AI voice agreement comes two months after SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement to end a 118-day strike, demanding short-term compensation and future royalty payments for film and television performances, as well as AI stipulations.