After striking for nearly 11 months, actors approved a new contract with major video game studios on Wednesday night that addressed concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to create digital replicas.
The agreement with SAG-AFTRA requires the companies behind some of the world’s most popular games, including Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat and Apex Legends, to obtain the written consent of performers to create visual or vocal replicas. Studios must also pay performers for the use of replicas at a rate comparable to in-person work.
“I feel incredibly relieved,” said Jennifer Hale, a voice actor known for her work on Mass Effect, Overwatch and other games. “I feel more confident that the work I do will not be abused or misused.”
The deal, which was approved by more than 95 percent of voters, echoes a framework established during the union’s strike against film and television studios two summers ago.
“Members can go to work and feel confident that the work they’re doing today isn’t going to harm their career tomorrow,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, said in an interview.
Video games have long relied on human actors to perform dialogue or model the appearance of digital characters. Actors were worried that powerful generative A.I. software could be used to replicate or repurpose their work indefinitely without their involvement.
In May, Fortnite unveiled an A.I.-powered Darth Vader who responds to players in the booming voice of James Earl Jones; before the actor died last year, he had agreed to let A.I. learn from his vocal performances.
In addition to the A.I. guardrails, the union’s new contract includes annual pay raises for members through 2027, as well as new safety measures, such as a requirement that a medic be present for hazardous action performances.
The actors ended their strike last month after a tentative deal had been reached. A future strike would automatically suspend their consent for the use of digital replicas to generate new material.
The bargaining group for video game studios included Activision, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Games and six other companies. Audrey Cooling, a spokeswoman for the group, said in a statement that it was pleased the deal delivered “historic wage increases” and “industry-leading A.I. protections.”
“We look forward to building on our industry’s decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide,” the statement added.
The actors went on strike last July after a lengthy effort to renegotiate a previous agreement that had expired in November 2022. The pay raises and safety measures had been agreed to by that point, leaving artificial intelligence as the sole dispute.
Reggie Ugwu is a Times culture reporter.
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