Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1525111
14 SAG-AFTRA | Summer 2024 | sagaftra.org S AG-AFTRA has called a strike against video game companies signed to its collective bargaining agreement. The strike, which was announced on July 25 and went into effect one minute after midnight on July 26, came after the parties were unable to reach an agreement after more than 18 months of bargaining. The convenience bargaining group with whom SAG-AFTRA is negotiating includes Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. Any game company looking to employ SAG-AFTRA talent to perform covered work must sign on to the new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement (see sidebar), the Interim Interactive Media Agreement or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement. These agreements offer critical A.I. protections for members. "We're not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate," stated SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. "The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices and bodies. Frankly, it's stunning that these video game studios haven't learned anything from the lessons of last year — that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that," said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. Negotiations began in October 2022 and, on Sept. 24, 2023, SAG-AFTRA members approved a video game strike authorization with a 98.32% yes vote. Although agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their A.I. language. At a press conference following the strike declaration, members of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee emphasized that the union is demanding that companies provide members with consent, compensation and transparency with regard to digital replicas and generative A.I. systems used to create synthetic performances. News, Information and Benefits SAG-AFTRA Strikes Video Games Over A.I. Companies Unwilling to Agree to Acceptable Artificial Intelligence Protections GAME ON