SAG-AFTRA under fire from big name actors for AI ‘digital replica’ voice agreement

After all the shenanigans surrounding the SAG-AFTRA strike last year, the very thing actors fought against is coming to fruition. The union has allowed “digital [AI] replicas” of actors’ voices to be created and everyone is angry—including the biggest names in the voice acting industry.

The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, a.k.a SAG-AFTRA, is the chief representative union for actors of all walks in the United States. The union was involved in a months-long strike against Hollywood’s increasing use of artificial intelligence in writing and acting in 2023 alongside the Writers Guild of America. However, it appears that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk back on their struggles after reaching an agreement with Replica Studios on Jan. 9 to “safely create and license a digital replica of [voice actors’] voice.”

Supposed approved by members of the union’s voice actor community, this contract “marks an important step towards the ethical use of AI voices in creative projects by game developers and sets the basis for fair and equitable employment of voice actors as they explore the new revenue opportunities provided by AI,” SAG-AFTRA says. Who exactly these “affected members of the union” are, however, remains a mystery.

Prolific voice actor Steve Blum, who holds a Guinness World Record for most credited voice-acting roles, put SAG-AFTRA on blast after the announcement of this “groundbreaking” agreement with Replica. He asked the union to clarify who exactly they’re referring to in the “affected members” part, garnering massive support. Blum has played iconic roles across numerous top-grossing franchises, including World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, God of War, and many, many others.

He wasn’t the only one to join in on the party criticizing SAG-AFTRA’s decision. Though they were hammered by apparently everyone who happened upon the announcement, other big-time voice actors came to give their two cents on the matter. Neil Kaplan, the iconic voice behind Optimus Prime and Madara Uchiha, also asked the same question as Blum, implying that no one in the VA community asked for this agreement. Autumn Ivy, the voice behind League of Legends’ Evelyn, added voice actors weren’t part of the discussion when the agreement was decided upon.

SAG-AFTRA fought vehemently against using AI in writing and acting during the strikes of the Summer of 2023. They sought more protection from AI and not expansion of its use, which one Twitter user has called a “backstabbing.” The backlash has been pretty significant and coming from all corners of the internet, so here’s hoping union members who value the positions of voice actors succeed in revoking this “groundbreaking” and “ethical” decision.