Fortnite’s AI Darth Vader Draws Legal Fire From Actor Union

Epic Games is in hot water with SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, after it used artificial intelligence to voice Darth Vader in Fortnite without talking to the union first.

The issue centers around a new non-player character (NPC) in Fortnite that looks and sounds like Darth Vader. The voice wasn’t recorded by a human actor but generated by AI trained to sound like the late James Earl Jones, as reported by The Verge.

The AI version can talk back to players using natural voice responses, but it’s landed Epic in legal trouble, as reported by The Register.

SAG-AFTRA filed a complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, accusing Epic’s production company, Llama Productions, of failing to “bargain in good faith” . They say Epic made big changes—like swapping out actors for AI—without notifying or negotiating with the union.

“Fortnite’s signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with AI technology,” the union wrote. “Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms,” as reported by The Verge.

SAG-AFTRA isn’t against using AI, as long as there are protections. The union has already signed deals allowing actors to work with AI under certain conditions. But in this case, they say Epic didn’t follow the rules, as noted by The Register.

Meanwhile, James Earl Jones’ family said he supported keeping the Darth Vader voice alive through AI. “We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character,” they said, as reported by BBC.

Still, the AI didn’t launch smoothly. Players quickly taught Darth Vader’s voice to swear, forcing Epic to release a patch, as previously reported by WIRED. Talks between the union and major game studios have been stalled since last year, with AI being the main sticking point.