'It's Terrifying'; Evie's Voice Actress in Assassin's Creed on AI Taking Over Her Voice
Voice actors are increasingly objecting to AI generators that allow for arbitrary use of their voice. It recently made headlines for the case of Victoria Atkin, whose voice was included in a mod for Skyrim.
Artificial intelligence has recently gained considerable popularity - community uses it to make, among other things, videos using the voices of iconic video game characters. However, this practice raises a huge objection in the voice acting community, as is also confirmed by the recent case of Victoria Atkin, who plays the role of Evie Frye in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate.
Evie Frye from AC: Syndicate in Skyrim thanks to AI
Actress Victoria Atkin found out about the use of her voice by accident. The relevant video was sent to her by a friend who came across a mod created in April.
- The mod in question was called "Dragonborn Voice Over - Evie Frye AC Syndicate Voice Pack," and it made it so that you could hear sentences spoken in the voice of Evie Frye from AC: Syndicate in Skyrim .
- The mod was made available on Nexus Mods, but it has now been removed. Up to that point, it has been downloaded nearly 6,000 times.
- It is not known exactly what AI program the modder used to create his work.
- In the description, he noted that the lines were not 100% accurate. The tone and pronunciation may have differed from the original. The creator intended to refine "his" creation in the future.
Nexus Mods thwarted the mod's development plans and removed the modder's work after objections were raised by the actress and Ubisoft. Victoria Atkin said, in an interview with Axios, that hearing her own voice without consenting to it was sad and confusing for her.
"If my voice can be taken and used in any game, and people can force my characters to say anything they want, it's very scary... for me and my work," Atkin said.
You can check out the mod at the 3:03 mark of the video below.
Voice actors against AI
More and more actors are voicing their concerns about the use of AI generators, enabling people to use their voices at will. Recently, this issue was raised by Roger Clark, among others, best known for his role as Arthur Morgan in Red Read Redemption 2.
- The actor believes that using a voice without the knowledge of its owner is tantamount to plagiarism, and to filmmakers or mods who knowingly steal the voice, he said: "If you continue to create such garbage, I promise you that soon there will be nothing left for you but this."
- Roger Clark is not the only actor who dislikes AI. Jennifer Hale, known, among others, from Baldur's Gate or Overwatch, addressed the creator using her voice directly on Twitter. The actress pointed out that without her consent, he has no right to do so.
In the next few years, it is likely that appropriate legal provisions will be created to regulate the use of AI generators. As Patricia Summersett mentions in article on Axios (she plays Princess Zelda in the English version of The Legend of Zelda): "AI is not going to disappear - before that, there needs to be a very human conversation about how artificial intelligence and humans can work together to make its use fair and ensure actors are paid fairly."
