Voice actors, among other members at SAG-AFTRA, can now officially license their voices in artificial intelligence (AI) voice acting for video games with the newest deal with Replica studios. An agreement unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024, as per Engadget.
The announcement states that thanks to industry-leading protections catered to AI technology, the new agreement will reportedly pave the way for professional voice actors to safely explore new employment opportunities for their digital voice replicas. AAA video game studios and other Replica-partnering companies can now access top SAG-AFTRA talent with ethical agreements.
Replica will reportedly be allowed to engage SAG-AFTRA members to develop and license a digital duplicate of their voice in a safe manner. From pre-production to distribution, licensed voices can now reportedly be utilized in interactive media projects such as video game creation.
Engadget adds Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union's top negotiator, claims the agreements address the production of "digital voice replicas" and the ways in which gaming studios and other businesses might utilize them. Minimum rates, secure storage and transparency standards, and time limits on using a performance replica without further money or permission are all included in the agreement.
AI as a Bigger Threat in Video Games
The technology to reuse a likeness or alter a voice has been there for years says Los Angeles Times, but actors reportedly claim that AI raises the stakes since it can extract more data more quickly and potentially create a convincing clone of an actor, merge actors' work, or pass for a new, artist.
As many video games utilize more of voice-over, the report states that video game voice actors claim AI presents an equal or even bigger danger to performers in the business than it does in cinema and television.
Replica Studios CEO Shreyas Nivas stated that the deal is not replacing the old way of doing things but rather it is merely creating a new revenue stream. He explains that like the well-known video game "Red Dead Redemption 2," having 500,000 lines of dialogue that were prerecorded, automated voice acting may reduce costs and improve efficiency in its process.
The deal does not reportedly address whether actors' copies may be used to train large language models (LLMs) but Replica studios proved to have discussed this use case with a lot of the major AAA studios, according to Nivas.
SAG-AFTRA on the Video Game Industry
Only a fraction of the gaming sector is covered by SAG-AFTRA's agreement with Replica but after the guild's recent strike, the union has reportedly been in separate talks with a number of big gaming developers.
The Verge adds that this newest deal by the Screen Actors Guild follows just a year after SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP inked a related deal that includes safeguards against AI-generated performances.
Los Angeles Times also notes that for more than a year, SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating the Interactive Media Agreement, which represents over 2,500 actors, in video game contracts. Members decided in September to give union officials the go-ahead to declare a strike against video gaming corporations.
Related Article : SAG-AFTRA Finally Ends Strike After Finding Common Ground With Hollywood Studios on Higher Pay, Protections Against AI
