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Title: SAG-AFTRA Calls Out Fortnite Over Darth Vader AI Voice

Link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/25/0...

SAG-AFTRA has filed a labor complaint against Fortnite developer Epic Games,
alleging the game improperly used AI to replicate James Earl Jones' Darth
Vader voice without bargaining with the union, despite the estate's approval.
Gizmodo reports: The union has now filed an unfair labor practice charge
(link to the PDF is on the SAG-AFTRA website) that calls out "Fortnite's
signatory company, Llama Productions" for "[replacing] the work of human
performers with AI technology" without "providing any notice of their intent
to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms." The union
notes that it's not against the general idea here: "We celebrate the right of
our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas
and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in
the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles." The problem is that the
AI being used here makes human voice actors obsolete, and "we must protect
our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace
the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of
matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games." So far there's
been no response from Epic Games on the filing. The Hollywood Reporter notes
that despite the SAG-AFTRA's still-ongoing Interactive Media Agreement
strike, which has been stuck for months on negotiating "AI protections for
voice actors in video games," actors can actually work on Fortnite without
violating the strike, since the game falls under an exception for titles that
were in production before August 2023.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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