Actors Guild Files Unfair Labor Practice Charge Because of Fortnite's AI Darth Vader
Luke, I am your AI father.
Epic Games
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has been fighting video game studios over rights for voices for almost a year, but there is still a lot to do to make sure companies don't use actors' performances to train AI.
The organization's recent action is an unfair labor practice charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Epic Games after it added an AI-voiced Darth Vader NPC in Fortnite last week.
It can join your squad, talk to players, warn them, and discuss gameplay events. The problem is that he was voiced by AI.
As IGN reported, SAG-AFTRA states that Epic's Llama Productions has made "unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment, without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain, by utilizing AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work."
"Fortnite's signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology. Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms. As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against Llama Productions," SAG-AFTRA said.
Darth Vader was originally voiced by James Earl Jones, who passed away in September. The AI recreation of his voice was done with approval from James Earl Jones's estate. His family said, "James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it. We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character."
However, this is an issue for SAG-AFTRA as it is trying hard to negotiate a fair deal for actors, ensuring their voices don't get used for training AI and replacing human effort.
The next step is for the NLRB to decide if SAG-AFTRA's charge makes sense. If it agrees, Epic might have to hire an actor to revoice Darth Vader.
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