New AI Safeguards: SAG-AFTRA Reaches Breakthrough In Game Industry

After nearly a year of negotiations about the rights of video game actors in light of AI advancements, SAG-AFTRA has at last reached a deal with video game developers.

SAG-AFTRA Reaches Agreement With Game Producers For AI Protections

This is undeniably a major advancement in the ongoing evolution of AI within multimedia fields. The labor dispute by SAG-AFTRA actors over video games dates back to July 2024. Last year, the union found itself at an impasse with prominent game developers like Electronic Arts and Activision regarding their working conditions.

After a prolonged disagreement, they eventually found a mutual understanding, paving the way for AI’s application in video games in the times ahead.

The SAG-AFTRA Video Game Agreement

Under this contract, actors will experience notable wage adjustments. For instance, they’ll receive a 15.17% salary boost initially, and additional increments of 3% in November 2025, 2026, and 2027. Additionally, retirement contributions will see a substantial rise, climbing up by approximately 17.5% by the year 2026.

Ultimately, a consensus regarding the utilization of AI by gaming firms has emerged, compelling them to secure permission before employing an actor’s voice or acting skills with artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, it is essential for game studios to transparently communicate with artists such as voice actors and motion capture specialists when their voice, likeness, or performance are being replicated by artificial intelligence (AI). This means that if a studio intends to utilize AI-generated voiceovers of an actor (for instance, synthesizing new lines from the actor’s original recordings), or if they plan to use AI to create digital versions of the actor’s face or body within a scene, they must disclose this information to the actor.

This guideline serves to ensure that actors are not clandestinely duplicated or substituted by artificial intelligence technology, without their awareness or consent.

This deal was struck with several prominent gaming studios from the industry. For your information, here’s a comprehensive list:

[List of game studios]

  • Activision Productions Inc. (e.g. Call of Duty)
  • Blindlight LLC (e.g. voice production for Starfield)
  • Disney Character Voices Inc.
  • Electronic Arts Productions Inc. (e.g. EA Sports FC)
  • Formosa Interactive LLC (audio production for Helldivers 2, Dead Space, Horizon and more)
  • Insomniac Games Inc. (e.g. Marvel’s Spider-Man)
  • Llama Productions LLC
  • Take 2 Productions Inc. (e.g. Borderlands 4, NBA 2K26)
  • WB Games Inc. (e.g. Hogwarts Legacy)

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2025-07-14 21:09