US EditionSAG-AFTRA files unfair labor practice charge over use of AI to make Darth Vader’s voice in Fortnite
- On May 26, 2025, SAG-AFTRA filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Llama Productions, accusing the company of implementing an AI-created Darth Vader voice in Fortnite without informing or negotiating with the union.
- The charge follows the collapse of more than a year of contract negotiations centered on AI safeguards, which triggered a labor strike targeting leading video game producers starting in July 2024.
- Llama Productions, a subsidiary of Epic Games, replaced bargaining unit work with AI voices, implementing an AI Darth Vader NPC able to interact by voice chat in Fortnite.
- SAG-AFTRA emphasized the importance of preserving their ability to negotiate the terms governing the use of voices that stand in for their members' performances, including those who previously provided the distinctive voice for Darth Vader.
- The charge could lead to National Labor Relations Board review, which may force Epic Games to remedy the situation, potentially reinstating voice actors or imposing other penalties.
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The Hollywood actors' union filed Monday a complaint for unfair labor practices in which it claimed that the work of the actors has been replaced by the use of artificial intelligence to generate the voice of Darth Vader in the video game Fortnite.SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) stated that Llama Productions, a subsidiary of the Epic Games giant, "refused to negotiate in good faith with the uni…
'Fortnite' Using A.I. Darth Vader Is Another Step Toward the Dark Side
Players can now interact with an A.I. character that uses the voice of the late James Earl Jones. But SAG-AFTRA isn't happy about it—and that's not even mentioning some alarming goofs from the A.I. itself.
The U.S. dubbing union is on the war foot at the home of the artificial intelligence used to replicate the voice of the original interpreter of the character
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