The voice actor behind Aloy in Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series is worried about game performance as a art form after an ‘AI Aloy’ video surfaced.
Ashley Burch, the voice actor behind Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, took to social media to express her concern over the future of game performance as an art form after the emergence of a video showing the character answering questions with an AI generated voice and facial movements.
Burch mentioned that she saw the ‘AI Aloy’ tech demo earlier this week. Guerrilla Games reached out to her to let her know that it didn’t reflect anything that was actively in development. They clarified to her that none of her facial or voice data was used in the creation of the demo.
As a result of these developments, she said that she feels worried, not specifically about Guerrilla Games, Horizon, or her performance/career. Rather, she is concerned about game performance as an art form. She mentioned that her and others are on strike alongside the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA against game makers over concerns related to AI, as they are looking to use the technology.
According to Burch, SAG-AFTRA is fighting for a mandatory requirement of consent from actors before creating an AI version of them in any form. Additionally, the union seeks fair compensation and full transparency regarding the use of the AI version.
The Aloy voice actor clarified that she isn’t concerned about the existence of technological advancements, and understands that it’s natural for game companies to want to use them. Her primary concern is a video similar the ‘AI Aloy’ tech demo emerging that has someone’s performance data attached to it. If SAG-AFTRA is to lose its fight against game companies, she believes that voice actors would have no recourse or protection. That possibility saddens and scares here.
