Agreement Between SAG-AFTRA And Replica Studios Allows The Use Of AI Voices In Video Games

National Executive Director and principal negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland (photo: x @DuncanCI)

JAKARTA - The United States of Actors - The Federation of Arts Shows on Television and Radio (SAG-AFTRA) a trade union representing 150,000 film and TV professionals has reached an agreement with artificial intelligence (AI) voice technology company Replica Studios. The "breakthrough" agreement regarding the use of AI votes in video games was announced by SAG-AFTRA on January 9.

This deal allows Replica to create and license digital replicas of actors protected by SAG-AFTRA under "fair and ethical" conditions. Licensed voices can be used in AAA video games and "other interactive media projects" ranging from pre-production to final release.

In addition to "minimum terms and conditions," the deal gives players the right to give approval and negotiate with AI companies, as well as to give power to opt out of their "continuous use" of voice in "new projects."

SAG-AFTRA's top executive and executive, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, believes the union has achieved all of its targets during negotiations with Replica.

"With this agreement, we have reached a fully informed and fair agreement when discussing the use of our members' votes and performances," the Crabtree-Ireland said.

However, the acting community and several SAG-AFTRA members are far from satisfied with the announced agreement.

The most immediate argument against this deal is that actors prefer to act directly and not only set an example of their voices. Another emphasizes the lack of details in the SAG-AFTRA press release or the voting process during the union's confirmation of the deal.

In November 2023, SAG-AFTRA reached another major deal on artificial intelligence, this time with a large film studio. The union agreed on guidelines to create, use, and change the players' "digital replica". The deal involves compensation for the manufacture and use of their AI replicas and their use in additional projects or other media.

Despite 86% of confirmed votes in SAG-AFTRA, the deal also sparked varying reactions in the acting community. Earlier, in September 2023, Writers Guild of America also ended its strike with an agreement, limiting the studio's power to force screenwriters to use AI.