Fortnite’s AI-James Earl Jones Darth Vader Voice Faces Unfair Practice Charge

The controversy around Fortnite‘s use of AI for the voice of Darth Vader has entered litigious territory with the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) filing an unfair labor practice charge against Llama Productions, a signatory to the union’s agreement. Notably, Llama Productions is a subsidiary of Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite.

Unfair practice charge filed against Fortnite’s AI Darth Vader voice by SAG-AFTRA

The SAG-AFTRA filed a complaint against Llama Productions with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The union accused the Epic Games-owned company of making “unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment” for Fortnite’s AI-rendered voice for Darth Vader. SAG-AFTRA claimed that Llama Productions did so “without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain, by utilizing AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work.”

Notably, the game allows players to interact with Vader, recruit him for their mission, and even fight against him. The late actor James Earl Jones, who provided the voice for Vader for multiple entries in the Star Wars franchise, reportedly permitted the use of archived recordings of his voice for AI re-creations. Jones’ family allowed his voice to be used in Fortnite (via Variety).

However, SAG-AFTRA claimed that they had not cleared the use of AI for Vader’s voice. “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,” the union noted in a statement.

Several outlets have since reached out to Epic Games for comments without any success.

In mid-2023, SAG-AFTRA launched a strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). One of the main points of contention was the usage of AI and digital recreation. Although that one ended in November 2023, the union started a labor strike in July 2024 against the American video game companies that had accepted its Interactive Media Agreements. At the time of this article’s composition, that strike is still ongoing.

Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net