Well, that certainly didn't take long...Just a few days after the AI Darth Vader created tons of controversy in Fortnite, SAG-AFTRA is stepping in and preparing to take action.
To recruit the AI-controlled Darth Vader in Fortnite, players must first defeat him in a boss battle. Afterward, a portal opens, allowing you to add him to your squad. Once he's part of your team, players can engage with him using Conversational AI—a feature that must be enabled in the settings to fully interact with the character.
It’s this Conversational AI system that’s at the center of the controversy. Players have discovered they can prompt Vader to say or respond to highly inappropriate and offensive commands, leading to a wave of concern over the misuse of the technology.
As Disney and Lucasfilm remain publicly silent, SAG-AFTRA is now stepping in—escalating the situation and drawing attention to the growing ethical and legal concerns surrounding AI-generated performances.
In a press statement, the actor's union wrote, "We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of these legacies and renowned roles. However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games."
The statement continues, "Fortnite's signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology. Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms. As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against Llama Productions. A copy of the filing can be read HERE."
This amount of bad press and the legal action taken by SAG-AFTRA likely means it's only a matter of time before the AI Darth Vader gets pulled from the game.
Fortnite: Galactic Battle is a time-limited, Star Wars-themed event bringing a galaxy of new content to the battle royale universe.
Originally designed to deliver weekly content updates leading up to a dramatic finale on June 7, 2025, the event now faces uncertainty amid the growing controversy. Whether it proceeds as planned or gets pulled remains to be seen.
Be sure to check our sister gaming site for the latest developments—we're keeping a close eye on the situation and anticipate a response from Epic Games in the near future.