SAG-AFTRA and Replica Studios pen AI voice agreement
Contract says that licensed voices can be used in game development, establishing fair employment for actors
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SAG-AFTRA and AI voice tech firm Replica Studios have announced an AI voice agreement.
The contract aims to move towards the ethical use of artificial intelligence voice work in creative works.
It also intends to establish fair and equitable employment for voice actors exploring new revenue opportunities from AI.
"Licensed voices can be used in video game development and other interactive media projects from pre-production to final release," said the announcement.
SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, "Recent developments in AI technology have underscored the importance of protecting the rights of voice talent, particularly as game studios explore more efficient ways to create their games."
Protection against the unregulated use of AI in video games was one of the discussion topics for SAG-AFTRA back in 2023.
The subject of using AI in video game development has made headlines in the past few months.
Back in October 2023, Embark Studios said that it uses both recorded and audio generated via AI text-to-speech. Embark explained that creating games without actors is not an end goal.
Then, in November, Genvid, the developer of Silent Hill: Ascension, denied using artificial intelligence to write dialogue for the game.
CEO Jacob Navok said, "Across our 100,000+ words, zero are authored by LLMs or AI, and all are from dedicated work of a talented team."
Shortly after, Bandai Namco rebuffed claims that it used AI voice technology in its Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections title.
A representative said the voice-over lines were not AI-generated.