The Fortnite AI Darth Vader has, by and large, been a successful addition to the game. It got everyone talking, and most players really wanted to get it on their team. It has inspired a lot of players to play the game much more than they had before. The artificial intelligence was not without its issues, though, including some unapproved language usage. Now, it’s under fire from SAG-AFTRA.
Image Credit: Epic Games
In the aftermath of the Darth Vader addition in Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 3, the Screen Actors Guild has filed a complaint. They have been dealing with strikes regarding AI usage in film, TV, and video games for a few years now.
An official complaint states that Epic Games made “unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment, without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain, by utilizing AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work,” according to the BBC.
The estate of James Earl Jones, the longtime and iconic voice of Darth Vader, agreed to allow Epic and others to use AI to recreate the late actor’s voice with the character. What the Fortnite AI did was not against their wishes, but SAG-AFTRA did not approve anyway.
SAG-AFTRA said that they need to protect the right to bargain terms and conditions around any voice usage that replaces work from members. In this case, that includes actors who worked hard to emulate Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone for various projects.
Some actors with the guild have refused to work for Activision, Disney, Warner Bros, and EA as they up the usage of generative AI, and Epic Games may be next. The AI was also criticized after it used slurs and said things it was not intended to.
However, Fortnite did not take the character out of the game. It does not look like they’ll do so based on the complaint, either. Since they got approval from the Jones estate, there’s not a lot SAG-AFTRA can do.
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