While most of the world was waiting for the latest release from the Epstein scandal, OpenAI dropped a new model 4.5, but it is not attracting much attention as it is not expected to be a frontier / cutting-edge model.
Many people on X are equally annoyed at using Claude’s new model 3.7 for anything beyond brief demos. In spite of this and in typical fashion, levelsio continues to use it to innovate on his new multiplayer airplane game.
Here’s everything else happening in the world of entertainment and gaming AI
Grok | Voice Actor Struggles
TL;DR: The entire French voice cast of Apex Legends resigned rejecting a contract that would strip them of their voice rights and potentially allow EA and Respawn Entertainment to use AI to replicate their performances without further compensation.
Key Points:
All 32 French voice actors unanimously rejected a new contract and issued a collective refusal letter to the publisher.
Pascale Chemin, the voice of Wraith for nearly six years, publicly criticized the contract on Instagram.
The contract included terms forcing actors to give up all voice rights, with no limits on use, potentially for AI training and generating performances without additional pay.
Entertainment industry lawyers reviewed the terms and deemed them unacceptable.
Why It Matters: This mass resignation is the latest clash between creative talent and companies that want to utilize more AI within enertainment. The French Apex Legends voice cast’s move highlights fears that companies like EA and Respawn could use actors’ performances to build AI systems that replace them, cutting costs while sidelining human talent.
Here in the US, SAG-AFTRA are already striking over similar issues as other gaming giants like Activision face criticism for AI integration. There is a clear dilemma for voice actors at the moment. At what point do you decide to cash out, recognizing that you're unlikely to get the compensation and opportunities that previously existed before AI voice has reached the level that it's at now?
No different than the classic Prisoner's Dilemma. First movers likely benefit the most and can generate the most beneficial rights. The longer someone waits, the less likely there's going to be an opportunity to cash in on using their voice.
It is also hard to see a future where there are going to be many opportunities for new voice actors outside of niche opportunities. This is due to the existing issues of cost re-shoots and edits, that were already plaguing both film and game companies, which AI, in theory, helps address.
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Grok | Trying to Survive
TL;DR: Two new bills in California aim to expand the state's film and television tax credit program, diversifying eligible productions and boosting the incentive cap to keep jobs from leaving.
Key Points:
Two bills, SB 630 and AB 1138, were introduced to update California’s film and TV tax credit program.
The legislation supports Gov. Newsom’s plan to raise the program’s cap, offering up to $3.75 billion in tax credits over five years starting in 2025.
Lawmakers aim to make California competitive with other states and countries luring productions away.
The bills focus on retaining and creating high-quality, mostly union jobs in the entertainment industry.
FilmLA reports production in L.A. is recovering but still hit a near-record low of 23,480 shoot days last year.
Why It Matters: As we discussed two weeks ago, Hollywood is in a Rough Sport.
California’s entertainment industry, a backbone of the state’s economy and culture, has been battered by strikes, wildfires, and competition across the globe.
These bills signal a push to stop the bleed of jobs—over 17,000 full-time positions lost in recent years, according to union leaders—and breathe life back into a production scene that’s struggled to regain its footing.
By broadening what qualifies for tax credits and pumping in billions, the state hopes to entice studios to stay or return, which could ripple through to small businesses like prop houses and soundstages that depend on filming.
If studios buy in, as urged by union reps, this could stabilize an industry teetering on uncertainty, keeping the state’s Hollywood heartbeat alive amid a shifting global production map.
I would argue this is a step in the right direction, but Hollywood’s problems are not purely financial and simply trying to lower the tax burden on studios is not going to fix their problems.