Actor’s Union Criticized for AI Voice Agreement
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing voice actors and motion-capture performers in the gaming industry, has announced a partnership with AI voice studio Replica Studios, but many in the industry are unhappy with the deal.
A public statement from SAG-AFTRA announced that the agreement with Replica Studios would allow the company to engage SAG-AFTRA members under an ethical agreement to create and license digital replicas of their voices. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with Replica Studios, calling it a positive example of AI implementation.
Despite SAG-AFTRA’s assurance that the AI deal was approved by affected members of the union’s voiceover performer community, many voice actors have spoken out to express their dissatisfaction with the agreement. Some have taken to Twitter to convey their disappointment, stating that they were not consulted and do not know of any peers who were involved in the decision-making process.
For example, Elias Toufexis, known as the voice of Adam Jensen in the Deus Ex series, tweeted, “No one asked me about this. No one reached out for my opinion. From what I’m seeing, no one asked any of my peers either.” Similarly, Steve Blum questioned the approval process, stating, “Nobody in our community approved this that I know of. Games are the bulk of my livelihood and have been for years. Who are you referring to?”
While Replica Studios has invited questions about its process and expressed excitement to enhance consent, contracts, and compensation, the announcement of the deal has sparked controversy within the voice acting community.
It’s worth noting that SAG-AFTRA has been engaged in negotiations concerning wage growth, workplace safety, and the use of AI in the past year. Last September, a strike was authorized but has not been acted upon thus far. The partnership with Replica Studios appears to be separate from these negotiations and was revealed at a CES event. However, critics have been quick to point out the inconsistency of authorizing AI voice actors given the union’s emphasis on human performance during last year’s film and TV strike.
The film and TV industry’s agreement did not prohibit the use of AI but required explicit actor consent for the use of their digital replicas and mandated studios to notify the union when considering fully synthesized actors. This gave the union an opportunity to negotiate for human actors to be cast instead. The importance of human performance and its potential impact on employment were acknowledged in the agreement.
In the gaming industry, AI voiceover has already made its presence known, with games like The Finals facing criticism for its use of AI voices for announcers.