What happened

Epic Games, through its subsidiary Llama Productions, introduced an AI-powered Darth Vader character in online video game Fortnite, allowing players to interact with the villain using conversational AI that mimics James Earl Jones’ voice. 

While Jones had given permission for AI to study his recordings before his death, and his estate endorsed the use, the union contends that Epic Games made “unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment” by substituting human voice actors with AI without notifying or bargaining with US labour union SAG-AFTRA. 

Epic's use of AI is seen to have eliminated work opportunities for human voice actors, and raised wider concerns about job security and fair compensation within the industry.

The incident is also seen to highlight the risk of AI-generated voices being manipulated to produce inappropriate or offensive statements, as reportedly happened in the game when players prompted Darth Vader to use profanity and slurs.  

This led to an official unfair labour practice charge filed by SAG-AFTRA with the US National Labor Relations Board.

Why it happened

Epic Games' decision to use AI to preserve the authenticity of Darth Vader’s character by using AI trained on James Earl Jones’s voice was made during ongoing industry disputes over AI’s role in entertainment, and without engaging in negotiations with the actors’ union, which has been striking for stronger AI protections and bargaining rights since July 2024.