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This is a "real slap in the face."
AI is getting better at seemingly everything, including voicing whatever users want. What is harmless fun for some is a huge problem and offense to others: Paul Eiding, the voice of Colonel Campbell in Metal Gear Solid, went to Twitter to share his thoughts on the matter.
He spoke against using his voice in AI programs without written permission, saying it violates his rights:
"If you do not have written permission to use my voice, you DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION to use my voice, including AI use. Doing so is a violation of my legal rights and a real slap in the face."
Eiding is a veteran of the industry, with his voice giving life to not only Colonel Campbell but also Max Tennyson from Ben 10, Perceptor from The Transformers, and several roles from Fallout.
Tensions are rising in this field of work, as Erica Lindbeck, the voice of Futaba Sakura in Persona 5, Hrist in God of War Ragnarok, and Blaze the Cat in Sonic the Hedgehog, recently addressed the same issue. As TheGamer reported, a content creator used her voice in an AI-generated video, which is something that goes against Lindbeck's views.
She asked her followers to report such videos. In response, the video's creator accused Lindbeck of starting a "harassing campaign" over a "dumb but harmless Futaba AI cover video". After this, Lindbeck left Twitter, despite other creators and actors backing her up.
It looks like we will see more problems arising in the game industry. In April, we covered what actors think about the use of AI, and most of them were skeptical. Jane Perry, who played Selene in Returnal, said it "sends a little chill down [her] spine" and we have to "really understand what AI is and get out in front of it."
At the same time, Troy Baker, who played Joel in The Last of Us, was more optimistic:
"So as long as we understand it, as long as we are using it in a way that is benefitting and moving the medium forward, I'm for it," he said. "If my job can be replaced by an AI, it's going to be. So it's incumbent upon me to prepare for that."
What do you think about AI using people's voices? Is it a good that can accelerate development or an evil that will destroy actors' jobs?
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