SAG-AFTRA has announced that it has reached a tentative deal with video game companies over the Interactive Media contract, potentially bringing the voice actors' strike to an end.
Performers under the Interactive Media Agreement (IMA) have been on strike since July 2024, with the main sticking point being protections from companies abusing generative AI technology to use an actor's voice in perpetuity, without having to compensate them after the first contract agreement, or get consent from the actor to use an AI-generated version of their voice for future projects.
Now, a tentative deal has been reached, which SAG-AFTRA's national chief executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, says "puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains."
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher added, "Our video game performers stood strong against the biggest employers in one of the world’s most lucrative industries. Their incredible courage and persistence, combined with the tireless work of our negotiating committee, has at last secured a deal. The needle has been moved forward and we are much better off than before. As soon as this is ratified we roll up our sleeves and begin to plan the next negotiation. Every contract is a work in progress and progress is the name of the game."
Once the details of the deal have been finalized, which is expected to happen "soon," the strike will end. Performers under the IMA are still on strike until such time.
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