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SAG-AFTRA, a large union representing over 160,000 actors and media employees, has filed a charge against Fortnite for its use of an AI Darth Vader character.
Fortnite and Epic Games are facing legal trouble after the game’s latest update.
As part of its recent Star Wars collaboration, Fortnite added an AI-powered Darth Vader character that has prompted the actor and media union SAG-AFTRA to file an unfair labour practice charge.
The union is substantial, representing 160,000 actors and media employees.
Brought into the game last week, the Darth Vader NPC could be spoken to by players. They could ask questions and the character would respond with a voice mimicking the late James Earl Jones, the original actor from the first trilogy. This was done with his and his estate’s permission, according to Forbes.
However, as this was achieved using an AI model, players could make the character say phrases and words that Jones never said. This included slurs, racial remarks, and other offensive terms.
As Kotaku reports, Epic Games has seemingly patched this for now, but it did not consult SAG-AFTRA about the AI model before launch.
In a statement, SAG-AFTRA said that while it ‘celebrates the right of our members to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technology,’ it ‘must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members.’
The union argues that the AI-powered Darth Voice model replaced work that could have otherwise been done by real voice actors who’ve previously matched Jones’ cadence, tone and rhythm.
It also alleges that the developer did not discuss the work with its members beforehand.
‘Fortnite’s signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with AI,’ the union said. ‘They did so without providing any notice and without bargaining us over appropriate terms.’
With AI becoming increasingly more prevalent across different creative sectors and industries, there is an understandable nervousness surrounding its implementation. Voice actors who are part of SAG-AFTRA are currently on strike against several big game developers over issues concerning automation, for example.
