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Video Game Industry Resilient Amid Actor Strike
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
Major video game publishers, including Electronic Arts and Take-Two, are likely to avoid significant disruption from the strike initiated by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union workers last week. Reuters reported yesterday that analysts suggest the impact of the strike will be minimal due to the lengthy development timelines of major game titles.
SAG-AFTRA initiated the strike last week, representing roughly 2,600 actors performing voice-over, motion capture, and other work in the gaming industry, as reported by the LA Times .
The industry’s reliance on long development cycles and in-house resources provides a buffer against the strike’s immediate effects. Additionally, the relatively small budget allocated for voice acting in major game titles makes it unlikely that companies would halt projects because of the strike, especially without a unified body pushing for widespread action, reports Reuters.
At the heart of the strike lies the issue of artificial intelligence. Union leaders are seeking a new contract that safeguards actors from the potential misuse of AI technology. Their demands include requiring producers to obtain consent before replicating an actor’s voice or likeness with AI, as well as offering compensation when AI is used to replicate performances.
“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement.
Union representatives worry that the unchecked use of AI could eventually eliminate the need for voice actors and that companies could potentially train AI to replicate an actor’s voice or create digital replicas of their likeness without consent or fair compensation.
“Our concern is the idea that all of this work translates into grist for the mill that displaces us,” said Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the interactive negotiating committee, as reported by AP News.
While analysts predict minimal immediate impact, the long-term consequences of the strike hinge on its duration. Joost Van Dreunen, a lecturer at NYU’s Stern School of Business, highlighted this concern to Reuters, stating, “If it isn’t resolved by early September, then I can see it carrying into the rest of the year and the holiday season”. This extended disruption could have significant financial repercussions for the industry.
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UK Nutrition Startup Raises $15M To Expand In The U.S.
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
Zoe, a London-based nutrition startup, has raised $15 million in a series B extension to expand its presence in the United States.
According to TechCrunch , the recent investment comes from the American company Coefficient Capital. Zoe has raised a total of $118 million since its founding in 2017 , including $30 million raised in 2022.
The startup expects to bring more awareness to the U.S. of its products and services. Zoe provides customers with a kit with at-home testing materials—it can include the collection of feces or blood—to analyze results like blood sugar and microbiome health. After getting the results, Zoe provides a number on a scale from 1 to 100 as guidance to help people make better dietary decisions. They also receive a blood sugar sensor and have access to the platform’s app software to keep track of eating habits and monitor sugar intake.
The platform includes information and helps users navigate personalized suggestions on how to combine foods or what kind of products will help improve their health, like combining avocado with toast to reduce blood sugar peaks, as shown in the promo video on Zoe’s website .
Zoe’s products are already available in the U.S. except for New York due to regulatory restrictions that the company expects to handle soon. The yearly subscription to the services costs $348 or $29 per month and its user base has been steadily growing, now serving more than 100,000 paid customers.
With the new investment, the company will invest in marketing to gain more American customers. Jonathan Wolf, Zoe’s CEO, considers this expansion its “biggest opportunity.”
“Successfully penetrating the US is famously one of the hardest things for a tech company from outside of the country to do,” said Wolf to Sifted . Despite the difficulties, Wolf expects a successful outcome: “That’s partly because the market is so large, but also because the health crisis is so bad.”
Zoe has also invested in research and has participated in trials on par with medical trials mandatory for new drugs, for example. The company assures that its products can help customers improve their health within months.
