Game Performance Matters

If you tuned into State of Play last week, what are you most excited for? Was there anything not shown that you can't wait to see more of soon?

#sony #stateofplay
#videogames #gaming #Playstation

In addition to providing news/resources about our industry, we also love to celebrate games + share in the excitement of what's to come.

Sony's State of Play announcements included trailers for new games and IPs, actors returning to beloved franchises, upcoming DLC, long awaited sequels, and more.

A three-day international strike is underway at Ubisoft in response to its recent restructuring, with at least 1,200 employees taking part yesterday

www.gamesindustry.biz/at-least-120...

Link to article below and in our story: www.ign.com/articles/son...

[ #gameperformancematters #videogames
#Sony #Playstation #AI ] (4/4)

Game Performance Matters supports and highlights the work of humans in our industry. We believe that AI can never truly replace or imitate the incredible people that work on games! 🎮

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While a patent does not mean this is certain to happen, it is important to acknowledge game companies continued push for generative AI using existing characters.

Let us know your thoughts! (2/4)

📣 INDUSTRY NEWS 📣

@igndotcom reports that Sony has patented a system to generate AI podcasts and personalized platform updates and advice using the voices of fan favorite Playstation characters and mascots. (1/4)

While a patent does not mean this is certain to happen, it is important to acknowledge game companies continued push for generative AI using existing characters.

Let us know your thoughts! (2/4)

Link to article:

www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-it...?

[ #gameperformancematters #france #ubisoft #gamedev #strike ] (2/2)

📣 INTERNATIONAL NEWS 📣

GameDeveloper.com reports that 5 Ubisoft Unions in France will be striking reorganization within the company including cost cutting and return to office mandates

GPM supports game devs worldwide in their strike / unionization efforts ✊️ (1/2)

The trends are clear. Folks are being brave about standing up for better working conditions, and WINNING!

Some of our GPM crew (Florence, Lee, and Brittany) got to be a part of this Nerdsvote / Queervox chat! Check it out

GPM would like to congratulate ZA/UM workers on this achievement! We support all game developers worldwide in their labor organization and unionization efforts 🙌

📣 INDUSTRY NEWS 📣

GameDeveloper.com reports that UK workers at studio ZA/UM have unionized! This is a monumental first for the UK game industry 👏

Link to article:
www.gamedeveloper.com/business/wor...

Unions Urge Senators to Remove Ban on State-Level AI Accountability Laws from Budget Reconciliation Bill | AFL-CIO Today, the AFL-CIO and 32 national labor organizations called on senators to remove a dangerous provision from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would ban states from passing or enforcing laws prote...

SAG-AFTRA and the AFL-CIO have called on senators to remove a dangerous provision from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would ban states from passing or enforcing laws protecting workers from the threats A.I. poses to their rights, jobs and safety. aflcio.org/press/releas...

Please support our friends at NAVA by tuning in to twitch.tv/navavoices for their "Day of Play” livestream on Saturday June 14th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT for an epic day celebrating games and raising critical funds to protect human voices in gaming! ❤️ 🎙🎮🕹

Follow @navavoices for more info!

It was a pleasure to offer my thoughts to @gpm-official.bsky.social about the importance of strike solidarity!

Thanks for having me on, and to whoever actually edited Matt Mercer into the clip because of my flippant little gag - I fucking love you.

Strike solidarity from UK voice actor & @equityuk.bsky.social member @kitharrison.com thanks for making our Monday, Kit! 🎙️💪🇬🇧

A reminder that we’re all in this fight for airtight AI protections together; not just in the US, but globally ♥️
Though the fight may be long, it is absolutely worthwhile!

Instagram Live Question & Answer. Wednesday, May 28, 3:15 Pacific Time. SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh and NED & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland will discuss and answer questions about the Video Game negotiations and strike.

IG LIVE 🔴 Tune in TOMORROW, 5/28 at 3:15 PT as SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh and NED & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland discuss and answer questions about the Video Game negotiations and strike. #VideoGameStrike

‘Stop using my voice' - ScotRail's new announcer is my AI clone - BBC News Voiceover artist Gayanne says an AI used on ScotRail trains was trained using her voice.

Many times, U.S. workers are passing on these opportunities because they are likely unsafe and contain no AI protections or convenient loopholes.

Proceed with caution! ⚠️

Link to full article: www.bbc.com/news/article...

(5/5)

Though this specific event happened via work done years prior, GPM advises our international friends to please read your current contracts thoroughly, especially when receiving opportunities U.S. workers are currently passing on (whether related to our videogame strike or not).

(4/5)

The text of the article, part eight: “Liam Budd is an industrial official for recorded media at UK trade union Equity, which represents 50,000 workers throughout the creative industries. He said: "Sadly this is just one example of many performers who have their image or voice used to generate digital replicas without their full or informed consent. "This is a real concern. "Our members are effectively competing in a marketplace with Al systems that have been trained on their own image and voice without their consent. "Their likeness is effectively being hijacked."”

The text of the article, part nine: “Ms Potter said that Al had developed massively in the past four years and a lot of historical contracts were not fit for purpose. She added: "Why would I give my voice away that was going to do me out of work forever? That's nuts." Ms Potter also believed that her work should be covered by GDPR - UK and EU data protection regulations - and that her consent should have been required for ReadSpeaker to sell a commercial programme. She contacted the Information Commissioner's Office, the regulatory body which advises on data protection rights established by UK law.”

The text of the article, part ten: “But it said that the case was outside its jurisdiction as the data was controlled by ReadSpeaker. Ms Potter said she was now asking her lawyers to approach ScotRail to request the announcements be removed. She said: "If ScotRail want to do the right thing, I'm happy to do their voice announcements. "At least I know how to say Milngavie."”

GPM supports Ms. Potter in her fight for better data protection in the UK and EU and, more immediately, to have her voice clone removed.

(3/5)

The text of the article, part four: “Last week Ms Potter discovered the voice was being introduced across ScotRail after reading a BBC Scotland online story. It told how some passengers had expressed unhappiness with the new artificial announcer. One passenger said: "It was weird. I could tell it was Al because it sounded so robotic." Ms Potter, who said she had been in dispute with ReadSpeaker for two years, revealed that after reading the online story she burst into tears.”

The text of the article, part five: “"After the years that I've gone through to try to have my data removed - it's still being used," she said. "I also have to look on social media and see people mocking it, berating it. "They don't realise it's actually a real person who's been put through a dreadful voice app." Ms Potter added: "It's hard enough for people in the creative industry to sustain careers but to be competing with a robotic version of yourself just adds insult to injury."”

The text of the article, part six: “ReadSpeaker markets its products, including lona, as an "Al voice generator," but it said all of its programmes are based on "human voice talent" The firm uses a text-to-speech model, that means a user can type anything and lona will read it out loud. The technology uses artificial intelligence learning but Al needs something to learn from. In this instance, it is voice recordings of an accent or language it is trying to emulate. In response to the complaints, the tech firm said: "ReadSpeaker is aware of Ms Potter's concerns, and has comprehensively addressed these with Ms Potter's legal representative several times in the past."”

The text of the article, part seven: “Jennifer Cass, a partner at law firm Dentons, said there was a gap when it came to some protections against Al usage. She said copyright extended to literary and artistic works but not "likeness or image". "At the moment, there is no protection for image and voice in the UK," Ms Cass said. "It is something that is being considered in the context of the Al copyright consultation which recently closed." Ms Cass added: "There is a question about whether copyright should be expanded to cover likeness and image and to prevent the creation of digital replicas as well."”

All performers worldwide have the right to transparency, consent, and compensation. There is an urgent need for Al protections and Al copyright laws to protect performers' likeness, image, and voice as well as protect them from the creation of digital replicas without their consent.

(2/5)

A BBC News story page titled “‘Stop using my voice’ - New train announcer is my AI clone” It is accompanied by a photo of Gayanne Potter, the voice actor in question, behind a microphone. She stands in front of a wall of black sound foam, looking at the camera. She is wearing a blue-grey t-shirt, has brown hair pulled back away from her face, and blue eyes. The subtitle says “Gayanne Potter claims recordings of her voice were used unknowingly to train an artificial Scottish speaker called Iona.”

The text of the news story, part 1: “A woman who believes her voice has been used to create ScotRail's new Al-generated announcement system is calling for it to be removed from trains. ScotRail recently introduced a synthetic Scottish voice to make onboard announcements in place of pre-recorded human announcers. Voiceover artist Gayanne Potter said the artificial announcer - which is marketed as an imaginary character called lona - was trained by Swedish technology firm ReadSpeaker using her voice. ReadSpeaker told BBC Scotland News it had already addressed Ms Potter's concerns "several times"”

The text of the news story, part 2: “ScotRail said it had no plans to remove “Iona” and the dispute was between the company and the voiceover artist.”

The text of the news story, part 3: “Ms Potter said she did some work for ReadSpeaker in 2021 which she was told would be used for accessibility and e-learning software. But two years later, when the job was largely forgotten, a friend sent her a link to ReadSpeaker's website. Ms Potter opened the page to find lona - a text-to-speech programme marketed as a red haired woman standing in a Scottish glen. "It is my voice - I'm absolutely certain it's my voice," she said. "I was horrified - the quality of it was dreadful."”

BBC reports that voice actor Gayanne Potter has had her voice cloned by Al without her consent, and the model is being used as the new announcer voice of ScotRail. She is currently battling for it to be taken down.

Story in images and link to the article in thread.

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3/3 docs.google.com/document/d/1...

2/3

@crispinfreeman.bsky.social response to the anonymous chart that’s been floating around for the past few days, summarized with some GPM additions.

The full response is linked at the end of the thread/in the caption. #SAGAFTRA #LevelUpTheContract

Update on the SAG-AFTRA games strike | Equity Equity recently met with representatives from SAG-AFTRA who updated us on their strike action, where they currently are in their fight, and how we can support them. Detailed information is outlined on...

Link to full article! 👇

www.equity.org.uk/advice-and-s...

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“It is also vital to point out that if you do choose to work on a struck production, it can mean problematic reputational damage in months or years to come when the game comes out and fellow union members can see who took a role in a game that they were due to work on but were on strike.”

“How do I know if a game is struck? It is crucial that performers, casting directors, agents, etc, all do their due diligence to check that the game they are working on is not a struck production. You can do this easily by heading to the strike checker here: Interactive Media (Video Game) Strike SAG-AFTRA You will need to input the game's production code/ ID or code name. If you do not have this information, ask for it. Ask whoever is reaching out to you to work on the game for the production ID or strike status.”

(3/4)

“What are we suggesting? Now is a crucial time in the SAG-AFTRA Games strike and the actions that we take here in the UK in response to the strike can shape the outcome. If we resist the changes that union members in the US are striking over, we can help them win and ensure that we don't face the same fate here. Equity is not legally able to instruct our members to withdraw labour (go on strike in solidarity with our US comrades. We can however, give you all the facts you need to decide how best you can demonstrate solidarity to push the strike forwards and to help SAG-AFTRA win.”

“Firstly, you must seriously consider the implications of working on runaway productions (productions that were originally due to be made in the US but come to the UK to record on unfavourable terms, e.g. with restrictive buyouts and low pay for performers). Working on a production like this not only undermines strike action in the US and makes the fight harder, but will mean conditions, pay and terms in the UK will worsen. It may be tempting in the short term to accept a job, but it will mean that terms we accept now will set a precedent for the future leaving us no room to negotiate. We are in a really powerful position in the UK to stand up for better terms here. We can close off avenues to games developers who want to worsen pay and conditions, and welcome them to make games in the UK only if they do so on terms that do not undermine SAG-AFTRA.”

“We are in a really powerful position in the UK to stand up for better terms here. We can close off avenues to games developers who want to worsen pay and conditions, and welcome them to make games in the UK only if they do so on terms that do not undermine SAG-AFTRA. If UK performers accept restrictive buyouts, with all rights across multiple titles bought out in perpetuity, it may mean that more work comes to the UK but it will mean work will be on terrible terms and pay, with your potential earnings in future completely scuppered.”

“If UK performers give the green light to the use of A.I. to replace performances, this will be the the end of performers being an essential tool to make videogames. Being an essential part of the game is what gives you power and leverage. Currently, performers (both voice, mo-cap and p-cap) are crucial to making a videogame. YOU have something developers and producers need and cannot replicate. If we give these rights away, we lose our power, lose our leverage and will have even less ability to negotiate decent pay and conditions in games.”

(2/4)