SAG-AFTRA is officially on strike against video game companies as the union seeks a new contract covering voice acting in video games and the future role of AI in this area. This follows a couple of years of negotiations, and comes just days after the union empowered its representative to call a strike as needed. The Hollywood Reporter has statements from the union on the situation. This one should be read in your best Nanny voice: "We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough," says SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher. "When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate." We don't know what Duncan Crabtree-Ireland sounds like, so feel free to pick your own sitcom voice for his quote:

The union has said that pay has not kept pace with inflation and it has unaddressed concerns about gaming companies’ use of artificial intelligence in the contracts of performers who make money using their voices and/or likenesses. On July 20, SAG-AFTRA’s national board voted to give authority to Crabtree-Ireland to call a strike. As of Saturday, the union said it was “far apart on resolution of necessary terms covering critical AI protections for video game performers.”

“Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year — that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to AI, and the public supports us in that,” added Crabtree-Ireland.