A digital production company perhaps best known for its work on the worldwide video game phenomenon “Fortnite” is facing legal repercussions after a decision to bring back a beloved silver screen villain with the help of artificial intelligence.
The actors union SAG-AFTRA put out a statement Monday, noting that it had filed an unfair labor practice charge against Llama Productions, which is owned by the same company that owns “Fortnite,” Epic Games.
The issue at hand for the union wasn’t that AI was used, but that the group wasn’t given “any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms.”
Llama Productions helped add iconic “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader to “Fortnite,” a battle royale shooter which features an utter mishmash of characters, like the aforementioned Vader, real-life musician Ariana Grande, Frankenstein’s monster, and Robocop. Really.
But this newest iteration of Vader was noteworthy because it wasn’t just some mute avatar who will sound like you over voice-chat.
No, this Vader was recreated with the help of AI to not only sound exactly like deceased actor James Earl Jones, who passed in September, but to respond to real life questions in said voice.
It’s akin to playing “Fortnite” with Earl Jones himself cosplaying as his legendary character.
(And really, Vader’s legacy is indisputable. He was a “meme” before “meme” was even part of the lexicon with his “I am your father” line from “The Empire Strikes Back” still being joked about today.)
“We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles,” SAG-AFTRA wrote in its statement.
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It continued: “However, 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.
“Fortnite’s signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology.
“Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms.”
“As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the [National Labor Relations Board] against Llama Productions.”
Unfortunately for Llama Productions, the company isn’t just facing legal backlash. It’s facing more general backlash too, according to Wired magazine.
And that’s because “Fortnite” players are doing everything they can to make Earl Jones’ voice say despicable things by figuring out workarounds for AI safeguards. And they’re largely succeeding, with viral clips of Earl Jones’ unmistakable voice dropping a f-bombs or words that sound close enough to slurs.
(The Western Journal will not embed those videos for obvious reasons, but a cursory search for “Darth Vader AI” on X will yield you plenty of videos.)
The SAG-AFTRA charge can be read here.
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