The American actors' union SAG-AFTRA signed an agreement at CES regarding the use of AI voice actors in games. At the same time, actors are protesting, feeling betrayed by the agreement.
The use of AI is increasingly making real voice actors obsolete, as the current agreement so aptly illustrates. The goal is to create and license a digital replica of the voice, all within the framework of a fair and ethical agreement. Behind this is the AI studio Replica Studios, which sees it as a significant step forward in game production.
"This agreement, approved by affected members of the voice actors' union community, represents an important step towards the ethical use of AI voices in creative projects by game developers and lays the foundation for fair and equal employment of voice actors as they explore new revenue opportunities provided by AI."
“We are very excited about the partnership with Replica Studios, as this is a great example of the right implementation of AI,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, best known for her role as The Nanny.
Voice actors know nothing about it
While SAG-AFTRA claims that 80 percent of its members have approved this agreement, some voices within the gaming industry claim to know nothing about it. Consequently, they feel betrayed, and fear being sidelined in the future.
Starfield and Assassin's Creed actor Elias Toufexis schreibt for example:
"I would modestly describe myself as one of the best voice actors working in games. Nobody asked me about it. Nobody asked my opinion on it."
Xander Mobus (Super Smash Bros.) adds:
"Damn it... who?! Did any of you agree to this? I wasn't told we were going to vote on it. SAG leadership, please, I'm begging you, stop acting like assholes and do something so we can get back to work. You know? Your job? They're not licensors, they're a union! What the hell are you all doing?!"
The most well-known use of AI speakers was recently in... The Finals It became known, with the explanation that this significantly reduced production costs. However, this claim was not supported by any actual actors.
