Video Game Performers Protest AI Exploitation Outside Warner Bros.
In a bold stand against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence, over 300 video game performers and Hollywood actors took to the streets outside Warner Bros. Studios on Thursday. The protest highlighted the industry’s reluctance to protect union voice actors and motion capture artists from AI exploitation.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), addressed the crowd, emphasising that AI has become a major challenge in their negotiations. He pointed out, “We’ve made deals with studios, streamers, and major record labels that ensure informed consent and fair compensation for our members. Yet, video game companies refuse to do so, and that will be their undoing.”
The demonstration follows last week’s vote by SAG-AFTRA game workers to strike after 18 months of stalled negotiations with major gaming companies, including Activision and Warner Bros. The primary contention lies in safeguarding performers against the misuse of AI. Games such as “Hogwarts Legacy” and “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” have brought this issue to the forefront.
Chanting “Signs up, games down, LA is a union town,” protesters held signs depicting a fist clutching a video game controller. A man dressed as the “Call of Duty” character Ghost carried a poster reading, “Don’t ghost us for AI. It’s your call of duty to pay actors.”
Union leaders argue that AI poses an existential threat to performers, capable of replicating voices and likenesses without consent or fair compensation. This concern, which also fuelled last year’s film and television strikes, is even more pronounced in the video game industry due to advanced AI capabilities.
Konstantine Anthony, a Burbank city councillor and SAG-AFTRA member, stressed the need for human storytellers. “Algorithms in video games have been around for decades and have become so advanced that they can recreate likenesses, potentially replacing us,” he said. “That’s why we’re here: to demand fair compensation for our work.”
Seth Allyn Austin, a motion capture artist involved in games like “Horizon Forbidden West” and “God of War Ragnarok,” noted the solidarity among artists. “To be supported by your fellow artists, knowing that we’re all in this fight together, is amazing,” he said.
Despite the protest, video game producers claim they have proposed AI protections and significant wage increases for SAG-AFTRA performers. Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the producers, stated, “We have offered terms that provide consent and fair compensation for AI reproductions of performances.”
However, SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee argues that the industry’s definition of a “performer” is too narrow. Ray Rodriguez, SAG-AFTRA Chief Contracts Officer, highlighted that some physical performances are being categorised as “data” rather than protected work.
The global video game industry, which generated nearly $184 billion in revenue in 2023, faces increasing pressure to reach an agreement with the union. Cooling affirmed the industry’s willingness to resolve the remaining issues, stating, “Our goal is to reach an agreement with the union that will end this strike.”
