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NEWS: SAG-AFTRA Signs Agreement with Voiceover Studio on AI Voices in Video Games

I saw a few posts that suggested a dismal amount of members showed up to vote for this when it was on the table, and that's how it managed to pass.

ANN_Lynzee wrote:

I saw a few posts that suggested a dismal amount of members showed up to vote for this when it was on the table, and that's how it managed to pass.

That would make sense. It would at least explain the combination of wording that it was approved, but members seemingly unaware that it was happening.

Just looking at this on the surface level, it seems like the right to opt in or out to this from the start and then to opt out whenever they want is favorable to VAs.
Obviously how it passed is a different matter, but the terms as presented in the article in regards to being able to use digital replicas seems to be in favor of VAs (mostly whom I would presume would opt out).

So far I've only heard angry takes on it, but what exactly are the complaints?

AI voice-imitation/recreation will be a necessary tool that is also an inevitability.

There are reasonable cases where it makes sense in future scenarios.
- If a VA dies or becomes unable to perform mid-contract.
- In games that are too large or constantly updated services where a VA cannot reasonably voice a role forever or there is way too much text for them to perform.
- If last-minute corrections/additions need to be made, and time/scheduling is an issue.
- In future dynamic games, where assuming there is original creative interactivity between a user and an actual NPC AI, NPC AI can be voiced by text-to-speech AI VA. This is likely the most promising possibility.

Actors can get ahead of this by also getting residuals or settled one-time license payment for AI recreations of their voices. Or rather they can work together with AI companies to have their own licensable AI program.

I can easily see many industries popping up that also offer royalty-free AI VA using amateur or no-name actors emerging, and these would be cheaper alternatives for indy game and animation studios.

So it behooves pro-actors to get ahead of that by offering their own official solutions, otherwise they are going to lose out.

Blanchimont wrote:

So far I've only heard angry takes on it, but what exactly are the complaints?

By making AI voices allowed and making formal agreement about them like that SAG-AFTRA will allow companies to put into contract that you agree to have your voice to be used in AI or you will not work for them. Making high-level agreement like that is in reality making it requirement for many VA to agree to AI their voice, or they will not get work.