Artificial intelligence, or AI, is supposed to save humans from work. However, for some time now, especially artists have been fearing for their future and are receiving support from fans. AI is said to be capable of imitating voice actors – but nobody would be satisfied with that.
Who is the voice?
- Jennifer Hale is one of the most famous female voices in gaming. Her most well-known role is probably that of the female Commander Shepard from Mass Effect.
- However, the voice actress has taken on many other roles. For instance, she voices Ashe from Overwatch, and she is the new voice of Bayonetta after a dispute with the original voice actress.
- In the future, you might hear Hale in many more games, without her being able to do anything about it. At least, that’s what the voice actress fears.
This is what Jennifer Hale says: In a short video, Hale addresses her colleagues (via X). She warns against artificial intelligence and explains that it is powerful enough to copy her voice. Her consent is not necessary for that.
The fear is shared by many artists, especially authors have already opposed AI. However, Hale goes further and says: Most developers don’t want such things at all. One should ask where the money goes that is saved by using AI.
According to the voice actress, all of that flows into the bonuses and pockets of investors, meaning to the top positions. This not only deprives the artists of their money, but the methodology also threatens everyone else:
We artists are just the canaries in the coal mine. This greed for money will come for all of us. Let us stand together and say: No, thank you.
The fears about job loss have already reached Germany. A number of German voice actors, including the voices of Spongebob and of Lilith from Diablo 4, called in a new video from March to protect “artistic and not artificial intelligence” (via YouTube). They apparently have the support of fans.
“I want the REAL Commander Shepard”
Although Hale’s video is already older, it has recently found its way on Reddit again. There, users support the speaker’s statement and say: Voice actors should not be replaced by AI. They don’t want cheap imitations.
It is bad enough to hear a celebrity voice a role without practice. But sacrificing artistic integrity for the sake of money makes everything much worse. Particularly EA is under criticism, as there are fears that a Mass Effect could be created without Hale’s “real” voice.
In the comments, users further explain that even the moral reasons are questionable. In the Power Rangers, content from the original actors is still used, who were poorly paid back then. Some of them have been dead for a long time.
The fact that the topic is becoming a big deal again right now is probably no coincidence. Just a few days ago, art AIs drew attention to themselves again. With new filters, it is now possible to imitate the style of Studio Ghibli, causing a lot of anger: Millions of people watch ChatGPT create images that closely resemble Studio Ghibli
