The developers behind Helldivers 2 didn't expect many players to join the assault on the Automatons, but surprisingly, a whopping 70% of the player base joined the fight for tyrannical democracy.
As the use of AI rises in games, SAG-AFTRA is fighting to make the tech ethical
18.03.2024 - 10:25 / digitaltrends.com / Giovanni Colantonio
Every year, the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) acts as an all-important watercooler moment for the video game industry. It’s the one time a year where developers can widely gather to share their innovations, discuss the state of the industry, and advocate for change at scale. This year’s show, though, is especially crucial. It comes amid a catastrophic wave of layoffs across studios that’s put well over 10,000 individuals out of work. That’s happening as executives look to tools like generative AI to cut costs, which has created a firestorm over labor issues.
Unionization and worker protections are set to be the headline of this year’s show, and there’s a major player in attendance that will speak to those issues. Representatives from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) will be on hand this week, hosting panels on queer representation and the dangers of deepfake technology in games. While the union will speak to several parallel issues currently plaguing the industry, it’ll also be a key voice in championing the ethical use of AI during a week where that’s sure to be a heated subject.
In a conversation with Digital Trends ahead of GDC, SAG-AFTRA’s Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the Interactive Negotiating Committee, and Ray Rodriguez, chief contracts officer, spoke in-depth about the union’s position on AI in gaming. Both Elmaleh and Rodriguez laid out what the committee believes is the correct way to handle a technology that’s unlikely to go away.
Related- The father of Nvidia’s controversial AI gaming tech wants to set the record straight
- Video game voice actors are poised for a strike after successful SAG-AFTRA vote
- GDC survey shows crypto, NFTs not popular among game makers
“I certainly view AI with apprehension and a great deal of concern about what could happen, but I don’t view it in an exclusively negative light,” Rodriguez tells Digital Trends. “It is the challenge that is before us, and it’s a challenge that we should feel confident we can work through.”
The AI debate
To a casual observer, it may seem like SAG-AFTRA has accelerated its efforts to protect video game actors in recent months. Its involvement at GDC caps off a busy few months following the conclusion of 2023’s successful TV and theatrical performers’ strike, one that earned actors new safeguards against AI usage. Since then, all eyes have been on the union as it works to establish similar guardrails for video game actors (its most recent initiative is a tiered agreement system that expands production budgets).
“I think the union has been visible more generally,” Rodriguez says. “I think a lot of that has to do with a series of issues that have really focused the attention
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
thegamer.com
06.04.2024 / 02:49
Baldur's Gate 3 Dev Thinks Games Shouldn't Be Judged By Their Genre
You'll struggle to find anyone that wasn't surprised by Baldur's Gate 3's rampant success over the past year. It's an excellent RPG and one of the most ambitious the industry has ever seen, but many assumed that its genre would have been too significant of a barrier for the game to break into the mainstream.
wccftech.com
05.04.2024 / 09:13
AI Battle – Here’s 14 LLMs Fighting Each Other in Street Fighter III
A crafty data engineer put 14 AI bots against each other in Street Fighter III matches to see which model is the best.
wccftech.com
04.04.2024 / 15:23
Hellblade Director and Ninja Theory Co-Founder Tameem Antoniades Is No Longer at The Studio
Hellblade director and Ninja Theory co-founder Tameem Antoniades is no longer at the Microsoft-owned studio.
techradar.com
02.04.2024 / 12:05
CD Projekt Red's single-player games may never have microtransactions, but the studio isn't ruling it out for multiplayer projects
CD Projekt Red's chief operating officer Piotr Nielubowicz has said that the studio's single-player games may never have microtransactions, but its inclusion in multiplayer projects hasn't been ruled out.
tech.hindustantimes.com
01.04.2024 / 07:41
GTA 5 tips: Stop making these 5 mistakes if you want to play the game like a pro
GTA 5 tips: For over a decade now, Grand Theft Auto 5 or GTA 5 has been one of the most-played games around the world. An action-packed gameplay, an engaging open world and lots of things to do - all of which have propelled it to the second position in the list of best-selling video games of all time. Even though GTA 6, Rockstar Games' next big entry in the GTA franchise, is on the horizon, GTA 5 continues to be a benchmark when it comes to delivering an unforgettable open-world adventure. If you're one of the handful who still haven't experienced what the game has to offer, then check out 5 GTA 5 tips for playing it like a pro.
gamerant.com
31.03.2024 / 23:01
Red Dead Redemption 2 Glitch Makes The Night Sky Even More Beautiful
A Red Dead Redemption 2 player online has discovered an odd glitch that makes the game's night sky more beautiful than it already is. The visuals in Red Dead Redemption 2 remain incredible, even over five years after its launch, although one bug has actually managed to improve upon this.
gamesradar.com
25.03.2024 / 17:07
He's not all bad: Helldivers 2's D&D-style game master Joel joins a player's game, drops an unreleased vehicle, and then vanishes into the night
There are few individuals as mysterious as Helldivers 2's galactic game master Joel – the man pulling all the strings of the war, constantly working to evolve the third-person shooter's evolving narrative, as well as issuing Major Orders to us all.
comingsoon.net
25.03.2024 / 15:27
Late Night With the Devil Directors Explain the Use of AI Art Amid Backlash
The found footage horror film Late Night With the Devil was experiencing positive hype. The South By Southwest Festival-premiered film has 96% on Rotten Tomatoes calling it “delightfully dark” and praising its star David Dastmalchian. However, a new twist about AI art use has led to social media backlash, with its directors responding.
gamerant.com
21.03.2024 / 01:32
Minecraft Player Adds New Enchantment That Makes the Mace More Fun to Use
A Minecraft player has added a bounce enchantment to the Mace, sharing its impressive results. Minecraft periodically gets new content through snapshots, which give a preview of upcoming features coming to the game. These features range from new biomes to mobs, commands, and weapons, further expanding the already vast world of Mojang's sandbox.
screenrant.com
20.03.2024 / 19:03
New Trailer For Marvel's Black Panther & Captain America Game Reveals Title & Release Window
A new trailer for has been revealed, alongside a release window. Skydance New Media originally announced the helmed Black Panther & Captain America game, which is helmed by and writer and director Amy Hennig, during the September 9, 2022, Disney & Marvel Games Showcase without a title.
digitaltrends.com
20.03.2024 / 17:07
Heading Out is a road trip game about outdriving your past (and the cops)
Have you ever just wanted to run away from it all? When you’re dealing with mounting problems at home, the idea of jumping in a car and driving away as far as possible sounds appealing. What better way to leave the past in the dust than to hit the open road and go wherever your wheels take you?