Ashly Burch, the voice behind Aloy in the Horizon series, recently addressed a leaked Sony video featuring an AI version of her character. The video, which was reported by The Verge and later deleted, showcased Sony Interactive Entertainment's director of software engineering, Sharwin Raghoebardajal, interacting with an AI-powered Aloy. The AI Aloy responded to questions with a robotic voice and stiff facial animations, clearly distinct from Burch's performance.

Burch took to TikTok to express her concerns about the video, emphasizing that it was not reflective of any active development at Guerrilla Games, nor did it use any of her performance data. She highlighted the broader implications of such technology, expressing worry about the future of game performance as an art form. Burch used the incident to draw attention to the ongoing video game voice actors strike, led by SAG-AFTRA, which is fighting for protections against the use of AI in replicating actors' performances without consent and fair compensation.

The strike has already impacted several high-profile games, with unvoiced NPCs appearing in titles like Destiny 2 and World of Warcraft, and voice actor replacements noted in games such as League of Legends and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Burch stressed the importance of the strike, noting that temporary union contracts are available for game companies to sign, which would provide the protections actors are seeking.

Generative AI remains a contentious topic in the gaming and entertainment industries, with companies like Keywords Studios facing challenges in using AI to create games, and others like Activision employing it for certain game assets. Asad Qizilbash from PlayStation Studios highlighted the potential of AI to personalize gaming experiences for younger audiences, underscoring the generational shift towards seeking more meaningful and personalized interactions in games.

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