GTA 5 star outraged as AI steals his voice
Jan 15, 2024 4:10 PMIn a recent development within the gaming industry, Ned Luke, widely recognized for his portrayal of Michael De Santa in Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5), has expressed outrage over the unauthorized use of his voice by an AI chatbot created by the company Wame. The AI bot was designed to imitate the voice of Luke’s character, allowing users to engage in voice chats as if they were speaking with Michael De Santa himself. Wame advertised this feature on Twitter, promising fans an enhanced gaming experience. However, this innovation didn't sit well with Luke, prompting him to publicly denounce the company, leading to the removal of both the promotional tweet and the chatbot itself. Luke also reached out to the actor's union SAG-AFTRA and GTA developer Rockstar Games in his complaint.
This incident comes on the heels of a new agreement between SAG-AFTRA and AI technology firm Replica Studios which aims to create digital voice replicas ethically and fairly. This deal has been met with resistance from several actors who have not consented to the use of their voices for such technology. The situation spotlights the legal and ethical complexities surrounding AI and voice likeness in the gaming industry, hinting at future conflicts as AI continues to evolve.
What are the concerns surrounding the use of AI to replicate actor's voices in video games?The concerns mainly revolve around consent, compensation, and the potential misuse of an actor's voice. Actors worry about losing control over how their voice is used, which can lead to misrepresentation and possibly affect their reputation and future job opportunities. There is also the larger debate on how AI might ultimately replace human actors in voice acting roles.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is a critically acclaimed action-adventure game, released by Rockstar Games in September 2013. It is the fifteenth installment in the Grand Theft Auto series and was initially launched for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, subsequently released on other platforms due to its massive success. GTA 5 has not only been praised for its open-world design, storytelling, and complex characters but also for the voice acting that brought the characters to life, including the performance by Ned Luke.
Samira Khan
Samira Khan is a narrative enthusiast with a keen eye for storytelling in games. Her literary approach to game criticism examines themes, character development, and plot structure, earning her a following among gamers who appreciate the art of narrating.
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Mr. Bison commented on: 2024-01-15 16:45:06
Ned Luke's beef with Wame just goes to show how voice actors like him are standing their ground in the Wild West of AI ethics. It's a legit cautionary tale for devs and tech firms, reminding everyone that personality rights can't be CTRL+C, CTRL+V'd without some serious talk about respect and moolah.
Stimpy commented on: 2024-01-15 16:30:08
Gotta say, the voice is half the soul of a character like Michael De Santa, and Ned Luke's got every right to be miffed about his pipes getting hijacked by a chatbot. It's like, as voice actors, they bring these iconic characters to life, and now they're facing this weird tech crossroads where they've gotta fight to keep their voices from going rogue in the digital world.
