Gaming Industry Faces AI Challenge as Voice Actors Strike
Last week, voice actors from the gaming industry went on strike over concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on their careers. This action has reignited a broader debate on how the entertainment sector is adapting to emerging technologies.
Jennifer Hale Speaks Out
Jennifer Hale, a renowned voice actor, is at the forefront of this movement. Known for her precise yet warm delivery, Hale’s voice has brought to life iconic characters like Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and Samus Aran in Metroid. Her dedication to her craft makes her deeply concerned about AI’s encroachment on the industry.
“They see that the work of our souls is nothing more than a commodity to generate profits for them,” Hale states, referring to major gaming companies. “They don’t see that they’re crushing human beings beneath their feet in blind pursuit of money and profit, it’s disgusting.”
Hale, along with 2,500 other members of the US actors union SAG-AFTRA who perform in games, is striking until companies like Activision, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, and EA agree to protect their work from AI exploitation. She told BBC News, “They could, for example, take all my performances in a game, let’s say Mass Effect, feed them into a machine, not too long down the timeline, spit out an entirely new Mass Effect, with a performance that was entirely generated by AI.”
The Bigger Picture
Concerns about AI were central to last year’s 118-day actors’ strike organized by SAG-AFTRA, which resulted in agreements with Hollywood studios for film and TV actors. However, the issue remains unresolved in the video game industry, leading to the current strike, which began on July 25. While several issues have been agreed upon, AI protections remain a significant point of contention.
Despite the gaming industry’s estimated revenue of around $189 billion (£147 billion) in 2024, voice acting in games is notably less lucrative than in film and TV. Hale, a single mother, highlights the financial pressures: “Under what they’re proposing on the other side of this contract, they would pay me nothing.”
Industry Response
Audrey Cooling, a representative for the ten gaming companies negotiating with the union, told BBC News: “Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA [Interactive Media Agreement].”
Hale acknowledges that not all gaming companies are problematic, noting that some are willing to make fair deals. “Anybody sitting in their basement, anywhere making a game can go to SAG and say, hey, my budget is small, I only have this much money. I really want to work with these good actors. What can I do in SAG will say, absolutely, here you go, how big are you? Great here’s your structure.”
Global Solidarity
In the UK, John Barclay, assistant general secretary of the UK actor’s union Equity, expressed solidarity with SAG-AFTRA. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with SAG-AFTRA as partners in a global fight to secure fair pay and protect our members’ rights, which could not be more urgent as we move forward with artificial intelligence innovation.”
Regulations around strikes differ in the UK, meaning Equity members are not striking, nor will UK members of SAG-AFTRA be compelled to. David Menkin, who has voiced characters such as Luke Skywalker in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and provided voice work for Final Fantasy XVI and Horizon Zero Dawn, explains the situation. “Here in the UK, we don’t have a mutually agreed contract between the union Equity and the producers that make these games. So therefore, even if you’re SAG-AFTRA but you were hired on a UK based contract, you can’t stop, you cannot strike, you cannot leave the production, you have to fulfil everything in your contract.”
Menkin is concerned that US companies might sidestep the strike by hiring British talent. “All we can do is make sure that if the work is dumped in the UK, that we are making sure that UK-based actors are fully informed.”
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