SAG-AFTRA Statement on Fortnite’s Use of A.I. Darth Vader Voice and ULP Filing

SAG-AFTRA has released the following statement:

We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles. However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games.

Fortnite's signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology. Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms. As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against Llama Productions. A copy of the filing can be read HERE.

https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-statement-fortnites-use-ai-darth-vader-voice-and-ulp-filing

https://archive.is/DB0oZ

 

[pollution jim]

James Earl Jones aside, VAs are gay and don't have the right to keep their jobs

 

[Soggy Floppa]

James Earl Jones straight up gave them permission to do this before he died. SAG-AFTRA don't actually care about voice actors, they just want to bully the industry into submission.

 

[klarine]

Hasn't Sag-Aftra been threatening their own union VAs to make them strike against videogame companies so they can have a monopoly of the english VA market? They are worth nothing of value.

 

[oh no its pipkun]

does sagaftra even have a case here? seems like Darth vader guy or his estate okayed this ai thing. all these articles suck at explaining this shit, its all "fortnite bad, sag good"

 

[The Lawgiver]

does sagaftra even have a case here? seems like Darth vader guy or his estate okayed this ai thing. all these articles suck at explaining this shit, its all "fortnite bad, sag good"

There is no feasible way any amount of voice actors could voice vader for each individual fortnite session match, or do anything more than canned lines which the fortnite vader chatbot though having certain preset patterns of recognition does not run on as it clearly is just a full on vader chatbot built into the game as a limited time thing. This is a case that makes no fucking sense unless you actively avoid the scope and logic of just how many game matches are running at once.

Reading the thing it seems they're miffed that they didn't hire a sound-alike hired before from SAG to voice the vader chatbot. There is no world where someone can be this retarded without being intentionally and maliciously so.

 

[jertzog]

They're asspained because the idea of vocal likeness and regular likeness being used for fun purposes is getting over and there's nothing uniontards can do about it.

 

[Hecate]

does sagaftra even have a case here? seems like Darth vader guy or his estate okayed this ai thing. all these articles suck at explaining this shit, its all "fortnite bad, sag good"

they in fact have no leg to stand on, what they're attempting to do is strong arm Llamma games into coming to the table. the actual threat here is SAG can literally force all their voice actors into not working with Llama and its subsidiaries ever again in the future. they can also blacklist any voice actor who has worked with Llama after this. its a whole fucking thing.
SAG is the reason we will never get to see Maxwell Atoms Dead Meat

 

[Terrifik]

James Earl Jones straight up gave them permission to do this before he died. SAG-AFTRA don't actually care about voice actors, they just want to bully the industry into submission.

problem it immortalize the product of James Earl Jones-darkvader product .
issue is ai voice can't be copyright able the copright is idenity of dark vader.

 

[The Thinking Abacus]

they in fact have no leg to stand on, what they're attempting to do is strong arm Llamma games into coming to the table. the actual threat here is SAG can literally force all their voice actors into not working with Llama and its subsidiaries ever again in the future. they can also blacklist any voice actor who has worked with Llama after this. its a whole fucking thing.
SAG is the reason we will never get to see Maxwell Atoms Dead Meat

Exempting labor unions from antitrust laws was clearly a mistake

 

[Suburban Bastard]

The Vader videos are all hilarious, fuck off lol

 

[Rapesputin]

Unions these days will do absolutely anything besides fight to improve the lot of workers

 

[marvlouslie]

SAG AFTRA have no grounds. James Earl Jones approved of its use to preserve the character. His family approved of it for his legacy. Fuck SAG. They can go kick rocks.

 

[DoomsdayElite]

They have no case. Fuck off, FAG-AFTRA.

 

[JosephStalin]

Sorry, just ran out of fucks to give here.

 

[The Lawgiver]

The Vader videos are all hilarious, fuck off lol

or as the vader chatbot might rarely say before they lobotomized it
"shut up. ni. ger. "

 

[RodgerDodger]

SAGAFTRA claims to own you beyond death. Your very soul is theirs and your family cannot profit from the art you leave them.

You don't hate Unions Enough

 

[Soyjak Enjoyer]

Fortnite's signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology

No they didn't. The dialogue is dynamically generated it'd literally be impossible for a human to voice it

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

Hasn't Sag-Aftra been threatening their own union VAs to make them strike against videogame companies so they can have a monopoly of the english VA market? They are worth nothing of value.

A lot of English dubs of Japanese games just credit the Japanese VAs because of how batshit SAG is.

 

[Maggots on a Train v2]

None of these people have anything to worry about, nobody will ever want to forge their voices. Hollywood should be more horrified at the sorry state they have devolved into.