SAG-Aftra and 10 game companies are struggling to agree on how Gen AI should be allowed to be used in games in the future, particularly when it comes to generating voices.
Gen AI systems, whether they are designed to produce text, images or audio, don’t create anything from scratch, but are trained on existing material.
This can include words, pictures and, in the case of actors, performances.
The games industry has been struggling around the world, with many losing their jobs even as games get bigger.
Some studios see AI as a way to cut costs, which has the potential for fewer human voice actors.
“I don’t really understand why you would use AI for creativity,” Harry says.
“Why would we want to take something that’s so inherently human and is about inspiration, brilliance and collective energy and say ‘let’s see if we can run that through a computer programme?'”