New “Witcher” mod relies on AI voice – and makes professional speakers nervous
AI replaces the microphone in some cases. (Photo: Shutterstock)
A “Witcher” mod uses AI to recreate the voice of the protagonist. An unpleasant development for voice actors.
The mod “A night to remember“Expands the popular PC game” Witcher 3: Wild Hunt “with a new campaign that takes place after the last expansion. The creators of the project have apparently made a lot of effort and even spoken new dialogues. Even the protagonist Geralt received new dialogues. In the unofficial fan project, however, they were not recorded by actor Doug Cockle, as in the original game, but generated with the help of an AI. This in turn creates unrest among professional speakers.
“If that’s true, it’s just heartbreaking. Yes, AI could replace things, but should it? We literally have a choice. Replacing actors with AI is not just a legal minefield, it’s a completely soulless decision, ”says professional voice actor Jay Britton, commenting on the mod Twitter. Video game voice actor Thomas Mitchells also has concerns about the technology. “You don’t get spontaneity, you don’t get a person’s personal experience, you don’t get the essence of humanity in the lines,” Mitchells told the US publication Input.
Contents
Industry is already relying on AI voices, at least internally
While “A Night to Remember” is a non-commercial fan project, AI-generated voices have already made it into professional game productions to a certain extent. Obsidian Entertainment, the makers of titles like “Fallout: New Vegas” and “South Park: The Stick of Truth”, use AI-generated voices in development, for example, to make dialogues in games audible at an early stage of development, without immediately Having to hire spokesmen for it
Britton, who was involved in the past as a speaker in the games “Fifa 17” and “Mafia 3”, fears that the technology will lead to lower speaker salaries in the long term. However, it doesn’t have to turn out that way, because companies and spokespersons ultimately have a choice: “It is only inevitable if it is a decision that we make. I would never sell my first vote to an AI voice bank, I have enough respect for the craft and myself. If it’s my AI voice, it’s not my performance. “
