Concern 708 · Working draft · editorial review in progress
Actor and voice-actor likeness rights
Performer-likeness risk arises when a digital version of an actor's face, body or voice is created or reused without meaningful control over the performance and compensation.
Understanding the concern
A digital replica can place a performer in new material without another recording session. Consent therefore needs to address more than making the scan or voice model. The intended use, later reuse and effect on future work matter too. A one-time payment may not reflect an open-ended ability to generate new performances.
SAG-AFTRA agreements include protections for covered work, with terms that differ by contract. These examples show that consent and compensation can be negotiated, but they are not universal protections for everyone. A useful comparison is lending your name to a project: agreeing once should not be assumed to mean endorsing every future use.
An example
An actor agrees to a replica for one production but is later asked to allow broader reuse on unclear terms.
Illustrative unless identified as a documented case.
Words in plain English
- Model
- The learned part of an AI system. It uses patterns found during training to produce an answer or prediction.
Evidence and its limits
The union's resources describe covered agreements, including 2026 developments. They do not establish identical rights for non-covered work or every jurisdiction.
SAG-AFTRA · Union contract resources
Artificial Intelligence ↗ (opens in a new tab)Current agreement resources, including 2026 changes and consent and compensation protections. Applies to covered work, not every performer worldwide.
Broader frameworks and background
These resources provide context. They do not establish every claim in this concern.
A question to discuss
Which uses are specifically agreed to, and what fresh consent and payment are needed for a new use?
Keep track of different views, what needs checking, and any next step in your own discussion notes.
Open discussion notes →Principles for the conversation
Before you finish · reflect together
Virtues and principles to consider
Virtues are qualities we practice in how we treat people and make choices. They are not scores for judging someone. Use these ideas to explore what a thoughtful response could look like.
Seeing potential
Seeing potential means recognizing people's capacity to learn, contribute, and grow. It resists reducing someone to a score or to the tasks a machine can perform faster.
Use tools to support people's development. Give learners time, feedback, and real opportunities to practice. A prediction about someone's performance should not close off their future.
Ask together: How could this help people develop abilities they value?
Solidarity
Solidarity means standing with people whose lives are affected, especially when they have less power to protect their interests. It turns concern into a willingness to share responsibility.
Include affected people in decisions and support practical remedies when something goes wrong. Do not leave the cost of learning or repair entirely with those who were harmed.
Ask together: What would it mean to stand with the people carrying the greatest burden?
Dignity
Dignity means recognizing each person's worth regardless of usefulness, status, or a system's score. People deserve respect and a voice in matters that affect them.
Explain important decisions, avoid humiliating treatment, and keep room for a person's story. Do not treat a prediction as a complete account of who someone is.
Ask together: Does this use treat each person as someone whose experience matters?
Editorial ratings
These are editorial judgments from the register, not measured probabilities or predictions about your situation.
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