Video game performers to strike over AI concerns

SAG-AFTRA members are unhappy with gaming production companies

Rafi Schwartz, The Week US's avatar
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Protest signs are seen at the picket line outside Warner Bros. Studios on November 08, 2023 in Burbank, California
We are "not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members"
(Image credit: David Livingston / Getty Images)

What happened

Video game actors with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) voted on Thursday to strike against ten gaming production companies after ongoing negotiations broke down over concerns about artificial intelligence.

Who said what

Union members are "not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement before Thursday's vote. "Enough is enough." Video game producers have "already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions," an industry spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. "We are disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal."

What next?

The impending strike has been "signaled for nearly a year," The Hollywood Reporter said. Following Thursday's vote, it is now scheduled to go into effect on July 26 at 12:01 a.m, SAG-AFTRA said. 

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.