Some UK-based video game actors have said they wish they could strike in solidarity with their American counterparts.

Announcers linked to the SAG-Aftra union have refused since July to work with companies such as Activision, Disney, Warner Bros and EA over issues such as the use of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI).

The two sides have returned to the negotiating table, but there has been no major progress and the talks have expanded.

While the impact on players has so far been limited, partly due to the time it takes to create successful games, it has affected broadcasters in the UK.

Those who play the popular action role-playing game Genshin Impact might have noticed the absence of English voice acting in its latest story update.

It is the first game that fans suspect has been affected by the ongoing video game voice actor strikes.

The creators, miHoYo, only commented that these were “recording arrangements.”

Voice actor Doug Cockle, best known for playing Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher series, says he supports the strikes but is not a member of SAG-Aftra because he lives in the United Kingdom.

“Some studios have stopped producing their games, so the voice-over industry has slowed down,” he tells BBC Newsbeat.

“SAG-Aftra actors are not just striking for themselves. They are striking for the creative industries (around the world).

“If they can reach a good deal, that could be a model for other industries.”

It’s something Harry McEntire, who you may recognize as Noah in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, agrees with.

“I think it’s fantastic that (actors in) America are doing what they’re doing right now,” he says.

“As with many things, what happens in the United States, the same happens everywhere.

“If they can start implementing those things, they can become an industry standard, not just in the United States.”

Harry adds that he is frustrated that actors in the UK have not been able to stage a solidarity strike as there is “no legal support for it”.

SAG-Aftra and 10 game companies are struggling to reach an agreement on how Gen AI should be allowed to be used in games in the future, particularly when it comes to generating voices.

Gen AI systems, whether designed to produce text, images or audio, do not create anything from scratch, but rather are trained on existing material.

This can include words, images, and, in the case of actors, performances.

the games industry has been fighting around the world, with many losing their jobs even as gaming grows.

Some studies see AI as a way to reduce costs, which has the potential to require fewer human voice actors.

“I don’t really understand why you would use AI for creativity,” Harry says.

“Why would we want to take something that is inherently human and is about inspiration and brilliance and collective energy and say ‘let’s see if we can run that through a computer program’?”

Alex Jordan, who is part of the Cyberpunk 2077 games, believes that if Gen AI becomes the norm, it could have a long-term negative impact.

“I think if we don’t take strong action soon, we’ll see a bit of a creativity vacuum in the future.

“We’re going to have to work very hard to correct that.”

Video game companies involved in the negotiations previously told Newsbeat that they “have worked hard to present proposals on reasonable terms.”

“That protects the rights of artists while ensuring we can continue to use the most advanced technology to create a great gaming experience for fans,” said spokeswoman Audrey Cooling.

“The strong AI protections we have offered are entirely consistent with or better than other entertainment industry agreements the union has signed.”

Alex says he supports the SAG-Aftra strikers and is in regular contact with the union.

He also says he is not helping with any promotion of a new game, in solidarity with his striking colleagues in the United States.

Alex says he’s frustrated because the strikes haven’t been resolved yet.

“Unless we can move forward, this is going to hurt the people at the bottom of the ladder.”

Harry, Alex and Doug were speaking at London Comic Con, where over 100,000 fans visited for the chance to dress up, play new games and meet their favorite voice actors; some queued for a long time.

“The most important thing AI will never be able to do is interact with the community,” says Alex.

“AI will never be able to sit down and interact with people who truly love work on a human level and share that passion.

“And people who are truly passionate about things want to share that passion with others.”

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