Many are raising an eyebrow at the words uttered by the Chief Negotiator of Actors Union SAG-AFTRA while trying to justify the recent deal with generative AI platform Narrativ.
SAG-AFTRA published a clip from a recent podcast featuring Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland on its X (formerly Twitter) account.
In the clip, Crabtree-Ireland is shown trying to reconcile the partnership with Narrativ and the demand for “critical AI protections” at the core of the recent strike declared by the union against several video game publishers.
He explains that the deal ensures that the AI voice space is not dominated by “non-union performances” which he defines as “frankly, probably of lesser quality.”
“I think that one of the things that sometimes gets overlooked and it’s so important here is the alternative, which is saying our members are going to withhold services from these areas, does also mean that our members aren’t working in those areas.
And so to have the ability to have these protections in place but also, if a member wants to, really be active in this space, and help make sure this space is not dominated by non-union performances, frankly, probably of lesser quality, but nonetheless. That would be a loss of opportunities for our members.”
Unsurprisingly, many actors are taking issue with the concept and vocally expressing it on social media.
Voice of My Hero Academia’s Bakugo Clifford Chapin underlined the fact that every actor starts off as non-union talent.
“You do realize that literally every actor started off as non-union talent at one point. And right now, most non-union talent are standing with you in solidarity. Turning down work they have no obligation to decline solely because they believe it is right. How dare you.”
Ultraman Zero voice actor Daniel Van Thomas mentions that union eligibility isn’t exactly tied to quality.
AG eligibility isn’t based on “quality.” I wasn’t SAG-eligible for *years* despite being on streaming, cable, networks, features at retail, 50-million selling games, etc. Most become eligible by working as an extra three times and paying a $3,000 join fee — the mark of quality.
June Yoon, whom you may know as Yip Tak in Genshin Impact chastised the “blatant disrespect for non-union performers” and the choice to publish the specific clip in question.
“No, Duncan. This is unacceptable. Your blatant disrespect for non-union performers on display, and the choice to clip this particular section for public posting by SAG-AFTRA are simply, and verily unacceptable.”
Update 8/18/2024: SAG-AFTRA has removed the original tweet. Below you can see a reupload by user T0ffeeC0ffee.
More or less at the same time, Crabtree-Ireland posted a video on his personal account mentioning that the original comment “did not come out as he intended” and that he “fully respects the talent and artistry of all performers” regardless of union affiliation.
Yet, he also reiterated that he is “super proud” of the deal made with Narrativ and stopped short of actually apologizing for the comment that caused heated backlash among many actors.
If the name SAG-AFTRA doesn’t ring a bell, it’s the largest US-based professional performers’ union and it covers approximately “160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and other media professionals.”
This comes as the debate around the use of generative AI in artistic creation is as heated as ever. Recently, a class action lawsuit filed by artists against companies developing and using Stable Diffusion (a popular generative AI “art” tech) has scored a win as a judge declined to dismiss copyright infringement accusations, which will likely result in a trial.
