SAG-AFTRA Proposes LBF Deal with Historic AI Protections
Studios risk shipping AAA titles overseas as 350+ roles disappear in weeks amid membership
Poulami is an associate editor. She did her MA in English from Miranda House, University of Delhi and has qualified UGC-NET. She also holds a PG diploma in Editing and Publishing from Jadavpur University. Her journey as a content writer began in 2017 and since then, Poulami has garnered diverse interests along the way.
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What’s In The Lbf Deal?
On May 13, Donovan Duncan, SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Director, summed up the stakes in an Instagram repost from producer Jake Green: “If I thought one of these options would lead us down a bad path, I would advise against it.” Members face a binary choice: ratify a new Video Game Minimum Basic Agreement—known as the LBF—with “historic AI protections,” or risk having AAA titles moved overseas and non-union.
The proposed deal includes output-based safeguards. If a studio uses any audio “that sounds like you,” actors must have granted consent and negotiated compensation. That applies to everything from direct reuse of clean audio stems (ICDRs) to generative AI recreations. In practical terms, performers don’t grant blanket permission and can challenge any replica that mimics their performance without a license.
Industry Exodus And Urgency
Since the strike began on May 2, eight AAA games have reportedly shifted production abroad, accounting for more than 350 roles. Major studios have closed voice-over booths in Los Angeles and New York, and casting calls evaporated virtually overnight. With an estimated 200+ video games hitting shelves annually, the loss of new investment could hamper both seasoned pros and emerging talent.
Jake Green’s Instagram post underscores the urgency: “No contract is perfect,” he wrote. “But at this point, we face a binary choice: accept a good LBF with historic AI protections not found in any other SAG-AFTRA contract, or watch all AAA games go overseas and/or non-union.”
Navigating Consent And Ai Use
The LBF deal specifies three key points on AI consent:
– Direct Reuse (DR): Any use of existing game audio. Automatically requires licensing.
– In-Character Data Reuse (ICDR): Clean audio pulled from public sources (YouTube, film/TV). Also demands source licensing, individual consent, and deal negotiation.
– Generative AI (GAI): Studios cannot prompt with an actor’s name or signature performance without explicit agreement.
All are output-based. If an AI model’s result sounds like your voice or likeness, you have grounds to contest, similar to a music sample dispute. As SAG-AFTRA’s language makes clear, “If you believe the output sounds/looks like you, you can contest it.”
Jennifer Hale’s Perspective
Veteran voice actor Jennifer Hale (@jhalegram on Instagram) is among the most prolific artists affected. With more than 200 game credits—ranging from Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy to legacy roles in the Star Wars franchise—Hale’s career highlights both opportunities and challenges in today’s market.
In a recent Instagram story tagged #voiceover #voiceacting #sagaftra #strike (https://www.instagram.com/p/DJH1oyLyupT/), Hale showed solidarity with fellow performers and urged her followers to review the LBF details. “It’s important we all have a clear understanding of this contract and get back to work,” she wrote.
Hale’s Instagram history also showcases her versatility. An earlier post celebrated her role in Netflix’s Blood of Zeus: “so proud to be part of this show @bloodofzeus @netflix #animation #voiceacting,” she captioned the image. The strike puts such projects on pause, potentially delaying premieres and sidelining talent across animation and gaming alike.
As an active union member, Hale embodies what’s at stake: fair pay, credit, and creative control over voices that help bring virtual worlds to life. With recording facilities shuttered and sessions postponed, artists of her caliber are pushing for a deal that balances innovation with protection.
Members have until late June to cast their ballots. If ratified, the new agreement could become a template for other entertainment sectors facing similar AI challenges. A rejection, meanwhile, risks deepening the exodus of projects and leaving voice actors scrambling for work in an increasingly globalized market.
Industry observers and performers await the outcome, aware that this decision will echo far beyond the sound booth. The Game Workers Unite movement is watching closely, as is the broader creative community that sees today’s contract fight as emblematic of tomorrow’s digital labor debates.
Ultimately, actors must weigh a deal with documented consent requirements against the real-time flight of projects overseas. The choice will shape not only where games are made, but whose voices they feature for years to come.
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