SAG-AFTRA members approved new television and basic-cable animation contracts October 29, moving expanded AI protections for covered voice actors from a tentative deal to a ratified agreement.
The union announced a 94.95% approval vote. The four-year agreements with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers run through June 30, 2030.
What changes for AI voices
The union’s published agreement summary says replicas made from an actor’s existing production recording remain covered by employment-based digital-replica protections, even without a separate scan or recording session.
For independently created replicas, it adds a minimum session payment and residuals when the generated performance would qualify a human actor for residuals.
Consent for using a replica to dub a performance into another language applies to productions commencing principal photography on or after July 1, 2027—not immediately to every existing program.
The contract also requires union notice and, upon request, discussion when producers receive payment to license covered performances to unaffiliated third parties for training public-facing commercial generative AI systems. That provision is not an automatic royalty guarantee.
The production-business takeaway
For covered animation producers and voice actors, the practical issue is documenting which replica uses require consent, compensation and residuals. These are negotiated labor protections, not a court ruling that settles AI copyright disputes or a blanket rule for radio stations.
Minimum wages rise 3% annually, compounding to about 12.6% over the term. The first increase is retroactive to July 5, 2026. The summary specifies separate implementation dates for particular provisions.