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On January 9, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced that they struck a deal with the AI firm Replica Studios.
According to SAG AFTRA the deal that was struck would allow Replica "to engage SAG-AFTRA members under a fair, ethical agreement to safely create and license a digital replica of their voice." They continue to say that the voices that are licensed "can be used in video game development and other interactive media projects from pre-production to final release."
The deal that was struck between SAG-AFTRA and Replica includes some very base level terms. This includes the requirement for actors and performers to consent to use their voice for AI.
On the surface, this doesn't seem terrible but several actors have been quick to call into question SAG-AFTRA's claim that the deal was approved by over 80% of its members. VGC has noted several prominent actors that have complained about how the 80% figure doesn't seem at all accurate to others that are flat out saying the deal itself is terrible.
Elias Toufexis has acted and performed in games like Deus Ex, Starfield, and Assassin's Creed. He says, "I would humbly consider myself one of the top voice actors working in games. No one asked me about this. No one reached out for my opinion."
Erika Ishii, the voice of Ana Brey in Destiny 2 and Valkyrie in Apex Legends, wonders if "any one of the 'affected members' who signed off on this a working voice actor?"
Similar questions were raised by Xander Mobus, the actor known for being the announcer in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Joker in Persona 5.
Steve Blum, whom literally holds a world record for most video game voice acting roles for a male performer, claims that "nobody in our community approved this."
Other actors such as Kamran Nikhad (Modern Warfare 3, Elder Scrolls Online), Pax Helgesen (Bungie), and Jennifer Caitlin Roberts (Cook Serve Forever, Triangle Strategy) all made remarks saying how this does not sound like a good deal for actors and that they actually like to work and act. Helgesen in particular notes that "no actors are actively trying to monetize their AI replica." Continuing on to say, "we want to act. Which, if put to vote, you would have known already."
This deal comes just a few short months after SAG-AFTRA authorized a strike for game performers. One of the key goals of the strike focused on "protections around exploitative uses of artificial intelligence." SAG-AFTRA, for their part, feel as though the agreement made with Replica Studios fits within the desired protections for members.
SAG-AFTRA did release a statement to IGN about the fallout from this deal with Replica. National executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA Duncan Cratree-Ireland issued the following statement:
Our AI deal with Replica Studios is an important step in ensuring the ethical application of these technologies in a way that ensures the use of members’ voices occurs only with informed consent and fair compensation. This is a deal that covers one company, with regard to the development of video games. This deal does not impact our IMA negotiations. Rather, it sets a model for our industry, building on the terms approved by 80% of our members just a month ago, and we hope to see more companies adopting agreements like this one.
