A recent dispute over the use of a voice similar to
Nevertheless, similarities to Johansson were striking, and the Marvel star raised questions about the voice sounding "eerily similar" to hers after she declined an offer to lend her voice to the system.
The company paused the use of Sky earlier this week.
The high-profile case has brought the subject of AI voices to the fore, with several video game voice actors saying they are especially vulnerable to unauthorized AI.
One case involved a user-created mod to the video game "Cyberpunk 2077," which turned the main character into
The problem:
"It's a whole performance with my voice," says
The creator of the mod agreed to take it down, he says.
Toufexis — also known for his voice work on video games, including "Starfield" and the "Assassin's Creed" and "Splinter Cell" series, as well as his roles in live-action shows such as "The Expanse" and "Star Trek: Discovery" — says artificial intelligence is cool and has a lot of possibilities.
However, while AI can be used to help art, it should not be used to create art, says Toufexis.
"It's there to assist the creator," Jacquier says. "The creator has to have the upper hand, has to have the vision, and AI is one tool to be able to deliver on that vision."
Jacquier says he isn't aware of AI applications at
"When we develop those solutions, we do that with the end user," he says, citing an in-house tool known as Ghostwriter as an example.
A 2023 announcement says Ghostwriter doesn't replace video game writers but helps them with one of their most laborious tasks: writing lines known as "barks." The tool generates samples that a human can select and polish.
It's essentially filler dialogue uttered by non-player characters and can be as simple as, "Get down!" or "Grenade!"
Toufexis says voicing video game barks is a job that's going away because of AI, meaning aspiring voice actors may have a tougher time breaking in.
Another major concern is fair treatment.
For voice actor
"This is my voice," says Hale, best known as Commander Shepard in the "Mass Effect" series.
"This is the expression of my soul. This is the expression of my decades of life experience. No one is allowed to use it without my permission."
Hale acknowledges AI is a tool that isn't inherently harmful. She says she's not against AI, but its misuse.
But cases like ChatGPT's sound-alike Johansson voice highlight a need for protection for actors, and perhaps especially voice actors.
An actor's contract is a main protection, says
She points to work done by the
Rousseau says the use of AI voices could become more common with smaller video game studios, which may not necessarily know how to work with actorsor have the money to pay them.
For big-budget projects, though, companies still want celebrities, she says.
"They still want their
There's a reason people like movie stars, Toufexis says, and it's because they want a connection to characters through the actors.
"There's not going to be an AI Meryl Streep. It's never going to happen."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
© 2024 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source