Voice Actor Explains the 2024 SAG AFTRA Video Game Strike
Summary
TLDRThe video discusses the 2024 SAG-AFTRA strike, focusing on the union's demand for protections against the unauthorized use of actors' voices, faces, and likenesses by AI. The strike highlights the existential threat AI poses to actors' livelihoods, emphasizing the need for clear contract language to prevent exploitation. The video explains the specific scope of the strike, debunks common misconceptions, and encourages solidarity while urging both actors and consumers to stay informed and approach the issue with empathy and understanding.
Takeaways
- 📜 The actor's Union is on strike due to a conflict regarding the use of actors' voices and likenesses in AI without compensation.
- 🤝 The Union is seeking a contract that explicitly prevents companies from using actors' voices in AI models without their consent or payment.
- 🔄 The 2024 strike is more straightforward compared to the 2016 video game strike, focusing on a single issue of AI usage rights.
- 📝 Some contracts have outdated language that could be misinterpreted to allow AI usage of actors' voices without proper compensation.
- 💡 The Union is not asking for more money but rather for ethical and legal protection against the misuse of their voices by AI.
- 🚫 The strike is specifically targeting the interactive media agreement, not all contracts under the Union's umbrella.
- 🎮 Not all video games are affected by the strike; only those under the interactive media agreement with specific companies.
- 🛑 A company can cease being struck by signing an interim agreement that includes AI protections, allowing actors to work on their projects again.
- 🔍 There are resources available for actors and consumers to check if a project is struck or not, such as forms on the Union's website.
- 🚷 Union actors are prohibited from promoting struck projects, but they can still support non-union games or those outside the Union's jurisdiction.
- 🤔 The strike highlights the broader issue of AI and its impact on jobs, urging for clear contracts and ethical considerations in the industry.
Q & A
What is the primary reason for the actor's union strike in 2024?
-The primary reason for the strike is the union's demand for companies to not use actors' voices, likenesses, or faces to make money without compensating them, especially in the context of AI usage and simulations.
Why did the 2016 strike by the actor's union differ from the 2024 strike?
-The 2016 strike was more complicated due to numerous issues, including arguments about actors wanting more money or different working conditions. In contrast, the 2024 strike is more straightforward, focusing on the ethical and moral implications of AI usage without compensation.
What does the actor's union consider as an existential issue in 2024?
-The existential issue for the actor's union in 2024 is the fear that companies may legally take actors' voices and livelihoods to create models without paying them, which could lead to actors' voices being used indefinitely in simulations.
What loopholes in contracts are actors concerned about regarding AI usage?
-Actors are concerned about outdated contract language that could be interpreted to include AI usage. For example, contracts from the 1980s that allowed companies to 'simulate' an actor's voice for editing purposes could now be interpreted to mean indefinite use in AI without compensation.
What is the actor's union asking for in terms of contract changes?
-The actor's union is asking for the inclusion of protective language in contracts to prevent the unauthorized use of actors' voices for AI training or simulations without compensation.
How does the actor's union define a strike, and what does it mean for different contracts under the union's umbrella?
-A strike by the actor's union refers to a specific contract under dispute, not the entire union. Each contract, such as film and TV, commercials, interactive media (including video games), animation, and dubbing, has its own rate structure, working conditions, and companies signed on.
What misconceptions about the strike does the video script aim to clear up?
-The script aims to clarify that the strike is specific to the interactive media agreement, not all video games or union projects. It also emphasizes that not all companies are under a collective bargaining agreement with the union, and not all actors are required to strike.
What is the low-budget tiered interactive media agreement, and how does it relate to the strike?
-The low-budget tiered interactive media agreement is a sub-agreement for smaller budget or indie games, which is not under the strike. This means that small budget games can still work with and afford union actors during the strike.
How can a company resume working with union actors during the strike?
-A company can resume working with union actors by signing an interim bargaining agreement that includes AI protections, effectively making the project 'unstruck' as soon as the agreement is signed.
What are the implications for actors who are not part of the union or working on non-union projects?
-Actors who are not part of the union or working on non-union projects are not governed by the union rules and are not technically required to strike. However, they may still face ostracism from the community if they are seen as breaking the strike.
What advice does the video script offer to consumers or supporters of the actors' cause?
-The script advises consumers to educate themselves about the issues, show solidarity by supporting advocacy groups, and to be patient and kind towards actors and companies involved. It discourages attacking companies on social media or joining internet mobs.
Outlines
📢 Union Strike for AI Voice Protection
The video discusses the ongoing strike by the actor's Union, SAG-AFTRA, against companies that refuse to include AI voice protection in their contracts. The Union is seeking to prevent companies from using actors' voices without compensation to train AI models. The strike is specifically targeting the interactive media agreement, which includes video games. The 2016 strike had multiple issues, but the current one is straightforward, focusing on the ethical and moral implications of voice theft. The Union is not asking for more money but rather for a written contract that ensures their voices are not exploited by AI without consent or compensation.
🛠 Understanding the Strike's Scope and Impact
This paragraph clarifies the scope of the strike, emphasizing that it only affects the interactive media agreement and not all video games or Union activities. Some games are exempt, including those not under the Union's jurisdiction or those that have signed interim agreements providing AI protections. The strike's impact on actors is also explained, with a focus on not promoting struck projects and the potential career repercussions of breaking the strike. The paragraph also addresses misconceptions about the strike, such as the role of non-Union actors and the inability of the Union to govern streamers or YouTubers. It concludes with advice for consumers and actors to stay informed and supportive, without resorting to online harassment.
🤝 Solidarity and Support for Voice Actors
The final paragraph of the script calls for solidarity and support for voice actors during the strike. It encourages viewers to educate themselves about the issues at hand and to support advocacy groups like the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA). The speaker advises against online harassment and emphasizes the importance of human empathy and understanding in the industry. The goal is to foster a collaborative environment where both artists and companies can thrive, and the speaker thanks the audience for their attention to the matter.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Strike
💡Actor's Union
💡Compensation
💡AI (Artificial Intelligence)
💡Contract
💡Loopholes
💡Ethical and Moral Implications
💡Interim Bargaining Agreement
💡SAG-AFTRA
💡Indie Games
💡Solidarity
Highlights
The actor's Union is on strike again, demanding compensation for the use of actors' voices and likenesses in AI without their consent.
The 2016 strike was more complicated, but the current strike is clear: actors want protection against their voices being used without compensation.
Actors are not asking for more money, just a contractual agreement to prevent their voices from being stolen and used for AI models.
Some contracts have outdated language that could be interpreted to allow AI usage without compensation.
The ethical and moral implications of using actors' voices without consent are clear, and the actors are seeking legal protection.
The strike is specifically targeting the interactive media agreement, not all contracts under the Union's umbrella.
Not every video game company is under a collective bargaining agreement with the Union, and some games are not affected by the strike.
Actors are not prohibited from working in other genres or on non-union projects.
Companies can resume working with Union actors by signing an interim agreement that includes AI protections.
Small budget or indie games under a different agreement are not affected by the strike.
Actors are not allowed to promote struck projects, but they can promote non-union games or games outside the Union's jurisdiction.
The strike is aimed at companies that refuse to include AI protections in their contracts, not at all video game companies.
Consumers might see delays in video game releases from struck companies, but the delay is to protect the acting industry from bad contracts.
Being an educated ally involves visiting the Union website and understanding the challenges actors face.
Donating to advocacy groups like the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) can support the cause.
The video emphasizes the importance of being human, patient, and kind in the face of the strike and industry challenges.
Transcripts
so you want to steal our voices and use
it to teach AI without paying
us okay let's talk sag aftera the
actor's Union is once again on strike in
this video we're going to break down why
the union is striking what it means for
you as a voice actor or what it means
for you as just a general consumer of
media many people still remember the
2016 strike which was way more
complicated than this one the 2016 video
game strike had numerous issues that
made it difficult to follow in contrast
the current strike is much clearer and
straightforward it essentially boils
down to this okay would you guys mind
not using our faces voices or likenesses
to make money without compensating us of
course not the ethical and moral
implications of such a thing would be
bafflingly antagonistic okay great so if
you could just sign this contract no so
you do want to steal the method by which
we make our livelihood and teach
artificial intelligence to use them so
you replicate them without our
permission or compensation well that
would be ridiculous nobody wants that I
certainly would be upset if a robot
tried to take my job amazing then we're
in agreement if you could just put that
in the contract absolutely not but
you're promising that you won't do it
yes of course so you could just put it
in the no but we need it in writing if
we're going to not going to happen you
realize that a promise in written form
is just called a contract snowball's
chance in hell well I guess that means
we're going to have to go on strike now
why on Earth would you be so
unreasonable the issue for the actor
Union in 2024 is existential actors do
not want companies to have the legal
ability to take their voices their
livelihood and make models of them
without paying us some contracts
entirely lack language protecting actors
from this While others have outdated
language that could now be interpreted
to include AI usage for example one
company's contracts allow them to
simulate and that's in the contract that
word an actor's voice to make editing
easier that made sense in the 1980s when
they need to sort of mess things around
digitally but today this could be
interpreted to mean that that company
could use an actor's voice indefinitely
in simulation without compensation these
are the kind of loopholes I discussed in
my other videos about the importance of
reading contracts and protecting
ourselves against AI to me this
situation is overall baffling it doesn't
make any sense to me why companies would
refuse to include protective language in
their contracts actors are not asking
for more money or really significant
changes to working conditions they're
simply asking you not to have our voices
stolen and used without compensation or
to train AI models that will effectively
do the same thing the ethical and moral
grounds are really clearcut here unlike
the previous strike which had arguments
on both sides about actors wanting more
money or different sort of working
conditions like I said it was much more
complicated this is very cut and dry and
I hope I'm saying that this strike won't
last long but I often feel like I'm
punished for being an optimist so I'll
refrain from further predictions so
that's why we're striking it's basic
easy to solve there are already contract
Riders like those from Nava a great
organization you should familiarize
yourself with that addresses AI
protections many companies have signed
these agreements without issues games
are still getting made nobody's losing
money a complicated legal and
bureaucratic structure that's like well
we have to run this through legal
shouldn't really excuse larger
corporations from doing the same this
simple request harms nobody and helps
everybody usually I can see both sides
of an argument most of my friends and
colleagues will know that I'll always
play Devil's Advocate but this one
confuses even me it's really frustrating
that it had to come to a strike but here
we are and that's why now let's talk
about what a strike means as there are
many misconceptions about it last year
when the same Union went on strike for
the film and TV contract I had people
accusing me of being a strike breaker
which didn't make sense on my voice
acting ads there's so much
misunderstanding and misinformation out
there so it's important to focus on the
specific details of a strike by the time
I finish explaining you'll see how
narrow the strike actually is first the
union sag after I'll use both
interchangeably strikes per contract
this means there are several collective
bargaining agreements contracts under
the Union's umbrella including film and
TV commercial interactive which includes
video games animation dubbing and others
each has its own rate structure has its
own working conditions and Provisions as
well as specific companies signed on to
that contract on the production side
when the union says it's on strike it
generally refers to one particular
contract not the whole Union actors are
not prohibited from working in
commercials or other genres associated
with completely different collective
bargaining agreements currently the only
contract on strike is the interactive
media agreement which we'll call the
video game contract on top of that not
every video game is struck many video
game companies have never engaged with
the union and are not under a collective
bargaining agreement sometimes you'll
hear is this a union game is this a
non-union game is this Union project is
in a non-union project for non-union
projects that have never been Union the
union can't strike their games therefore
there are games that you're going to see
come out that are outside the Union's
jurisdiction similarly if an actor isn't
in the union they're not governed by
Union rules they're not technically
needing to strike anything however
strike Breakers or scabs are generally
ostracized by the community even though
the union can't technically punish them
if you're caught breaking the picket
line being a scab breaking a strike by
working on struck projects as a
non-union member not great for your
career or your reputation additionally
not all games under the union are struck
some games are grandfathered in because
they were in production before the
strike even if they're built under a
struck company if a game or a company
signs an interim bargaining agreement
providing AI protections the union will
work with them even during a strike this
means that any company at any time can
sign an interim agreement and immediate
mediately access the same Union actors
as they did before the strike it
magically becomes unstruck as soon as
they sign that agreement so it's not
like there needs to be this giant
agreement that happens any company can
say look we're cool with the non- aai
thing we'll just sign that let's move
forward and it's fine another important
caveat to the strike if the game is
operating under a sort of sub agreement
we call the lowbudget tiered interactive
media agreement which you can just say
is cheaper Indie Games it's absolutely
not under the strike at all so all the
amazing small budget games which if you
didn't know can still work with and
afford Union actors by the way are
totally safe to summarize the actors's
union is punishing companies that refuse
to include AI protections by ordering
Union actors not to work for specific
companies and games any company can
resume working with Union actors by
signing an interim agreement with AI
protections and a log go away when the
strike ends and we have a new collective
bargaining agreement that includes those
AI protections it's simple right much
simpler than the internet makes it out
to be there are additional rules about
What actors can and cannot do with
struck games for example a union actor
cannot promote a struck project through
conventions interviews appearances Etc
this extends Beyond acting to make the
game successful you're helping the
company make the game successful they're
asking actors not to do that however
that doesn't mean that actors can't
promote non-union games or games outside
the Union's jurisdiction the things I
was talking about before games that
aren't struck companies that aren't
struck so when you see someone talking
about a game they're working on it
doesn't necessarily mean they're a
strike breaker publicly breaking a
strike is career suicide most people
would not flaunt that on social media
furthermore if you're a streamer a
YouTuber right the union a probably
can't govern you unless you're a union
member and B they're not saying that you
can't play games as a matter of fact
they want you to play games and keep
enjoying it you should look at sag
after's website on the links in the
description below for more really
detailed information about that in
addition at that website you can
actually check to see if a project is
struck or not struck there's a handy
dandy little form there you can fill out
and say hey this project number is it
struck or is it not struck or you can
just call the union and ask them so
actors you also should be aware that
companies may try to find actors who
don't understand they're breaking the
strike or obfuscate their details so you
can't tell it's a struck project don't
be that actor okay companies might use
things like online casting websites
hiding the game information until you're
too invested to back out this happened
during the last strike so when in doubt
go find out you can always back out you
don't have to work a struck project if
you find out suddenly that it's struck
overall though calm down most voice
acting work is not affected by this
strike if you're not working under the
union interactive contract you don't
need to worry however the safest and
most enforcable way to ensure AI
protections is under a Union contract if
you even if you're not Union or the game
you're working on even if it is also not
Union want to solidify its status in the
union for free use the link in the
description below to get in touch with
Nava who will do this entire process for
you and nobody will lose a job anywhere
as a consumer you might see delays in
larger video game releases from struck
companies that sucks yes but waiting a
few extra months is totally worth it to
prevent the acting industry from
collapsing due to bad contracts how can
you help as a consumer or just as a
regular old person show solidarity for
actors this doesn't mean attacking
companies on Twitter or joining internet
mobs please don't do that just because
you see something online doesn't mean
it's true good friends of mine have been
chased off social media with death
threats for trivial trivial reasons if
you're one of my voice acting students
remember my Mantra stay above the noise
most online discussions are full of
people who don't know what they're
talking about it's a lot of noise
remember the phrase going viral is based
on a disease be part of the Cure not the
sickness get educated visit the Union
website and other links in the
description that I'm going to provide
below to learn about the challenges that
actors face an educated Ally is a useful
Ally if inclined donate to advocacy
groups my favorite is the National
Association of voice actors or Nava I've
talked about them a ton they do
incredible work for voice actors they
offer free resources for both actors and
consumers to clarify industry issues
including webinars most importantly this
is what I want you to do above all be
human actors are humans so are the
people at production and gaming
companies don't judge someone for having
a company's logo in their bio be patient
be kind be assertive but be human I hope
this video clears up some of the
confusion about the strike and inspires
you to pursue what lights your fire
whether that's voice acting or game
development the world needs great
artists on both sides and the more we
work together the better our art will be
thanks for taking the time to listen
[Music]
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