Video Game Workers Have Voted To Go On Strike Due To Growing AI Fears
Image Source: Spectrum News
A video game performers strike over the use of AI has begun, with members of SAG-AFTRA voting overwhelmingly to return to the picket lines for a second time. Those walking out include camera (voiceover) performers, on-camera (motion capture, stunt) performers, stunt coordinators, singers, dancers, puppeteers, and background performers.
The concerns remain that the unregulated technology is leading to creative infringement and job losses. Currently the industry refuses to supply protections against training AI to imitate likenesses of stars they are not paying. It’s currently very possible to alter or replicate digital likeness without consent (as shown by the ChatGPT-Scarlett Johansson case currently in court). Directors can alter the level of nudity in a scene and add a celebrity voiceover, all without payment or consent. There is evidence (conducted by Wired) that AI is already responsible for job losses in the video game industry. Concept artists and writers are being hit the hardest, but the rest of the industry won’t be far behind.
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“Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable AI protections, but rather flagrant exploitation,” said interactive media agreement negotiating committee chair Sarah Elmaleh, indicating this could be a long, drawn-out process. There are a number of big games in development that potentially could have their release dates pushed back if the strike drags on through the summer.
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Sources: AP News, The Guardian, Xbox Achievements
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