'Our resolve is unwavering and should not be tested': Major union SAG-AFTRA breaks glass on big red strike button as negotiations continue on voice actor AI protections

SAG-AFTRA image header on announcement of strike authorization approval — (Image credit: SAG-AFTRA)

In September of last year, voice acting members of the SAG-AFTRA union—which represents a broad swathe of over 160,000 performing professionals across the industry—voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike.

This came after an Interactive Media Agreement with SAG-AFTRA expired in 2022, after being extended for two years—one of the reasons why a new agreement has not yet been reached? A slightly impactful new piece of technology called generative AI.

"Our resolve is unwavering and should not be tested. Our membership voted more than 98% yes to authorise a strike of this contract should the employers not come to the table with a deal that includes our critical provisions—especially in A.I."

This union action mirrors a historic actors' strike—similarly enacted by SAG-AFTRA—which lasted 118 days until a deal was struck with a whole host of media companies in 2023, though that one was aimed more at streaming services and television companies.

Crabtree-Ireland finished the statement with the following: "We are steadfast in our commitment to our membership who work this contract and whose extraordinary performances are the heart and soul of the world’s most popular video games. Time is running out for the companies to make a deal."

Ultimately, there's a quite reasonable fear on SAG-AFTRA and its members' side of the picket line that videogame companies might try to squeeze in permissions to use a voice actor's likeness in perpetuity, once it's captured by AI. This would not only lessen the amount of work going around, it's such on-the-nose penny pinching that if you wrote 'companies will buy your voice forever' in a sci-fi novel eight years ago, I would've called it heavy-handed satire inspired by The Little Mermaid.

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.