AI-generated voice of Darth Vader in Fortnite: union lodges complaint

An influential US union of media professionals has filed a complaint against a subsidiary of Epic Games for replicating the voice of Darth Vader for Fortnite using AI technology. This was announced by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). According to the complaint, Epic subsidiary Llama Productions refused to negotiate the use of the voice of deceased actor James Earl Jones and unilaterally made changes to the terms of the contract for the use of his voice. Their AI-generated imitation replaces work protected by collective bargaining agreements.

Trade union feels ignored

The complaint relates to a feature in the “most extensive collaboration between Fortnite and Star Wars”, as Epic Games calls the current season of the co-op survival shooter. Last week, the option was introduced to talk to the iconic villain depicted in the game. Thanks to AI technology, he responds with the voice of James Earl Jones, who voiced him in the science fiction films. According to Epic, his family has agreed to the use and explained that this allows old and new fans to share the “joy of the cult character”.

SAG-AFTRA is now criticizing the fact that it was not informed about this in advance and that there were no negotiations about the correct terms of use. The complaint has therefore been submitted to the National Labor Relations Board. The US federal authority is responsible for monitoring and enforcing labor law. At the beginning of 2024, the union concluded an initial agreement on the terms of use for AI-generated voices in video games, making this possible in principle. However, there was also criticism from those affected at the time. Now, however, the union feels ignored, while the relatives of James Earl Jones are satisfied with the use.

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(mho)