Sony has been experimenting with AI-powered versions of popular video game characters, as evidenced by a recently leaked video featuring Aloy from the Horizon series. The video, narrated by Sharwin Raghoebardajal, director of software engineering at Sony Interactive Entertainment, showcases an AI-driven Aloy engaging in real-time conversations with players during gameplay. The technology utilizes OpenAI’s Whisper for speech-to-text, GPT-4, and Llama 3 for conversational AI and decision-making, along with Sony’s proprietary Mockingbird technology for audio-to-face animation.
While still in the prototype stage, the AI-powered character has been developed in collaboration with Guerrilla Games and has been tested on both PC and PlayStation 5 consoles with promising results. However, the introduction of AI in game development has raised concerns among voice actors, particularly Ashly Burch, who has voiced Aloy in all the Horizon video games. Despite being informed by Guerrilla Games that the tech demo did not reflect any active development and did not use her performance data, Burch expressed her worries about the impact of such technology on game performance as an art form.
Ashly Burch’s concerns on AI Aloy
Burch used this opportunity to discuss the ongoing voice actors’ strike, emphasizing the importance of consent, fair compensation, and transparency in the use of AI-generated performances. She highlighted the need for securing protections for voice actors to ensure the sustainability and integrity of the industry.
The voice actor strike has already impacted several video games, with players reporting unvoiced NPCs in certain games and some characters being recast due to the strike. As the gaming industry grapples with the implications of AI in game development, there is a growing concern about its role in altering job dynamics and the broader creative processes within the industry. Other industry leaders, such as Nvidia and Microsoft, are also exploring similar AI integrations, with Nvidia’s AI character technology, branded as Ace, appearing in several demonstrations and Microsoft planning to incorporate generative AI for character development and storylines in future Xbox titles.
As the debate surrounding the ethical and creative implications of AI in video games continues, the leaked video of AI Aloy has sparked further discussions ahead of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Despite multiple requests, Sony has yet to comment on the leaked video or its removal from YouTube following a copyright claim.
Image Credits: Photo by James Feaver on Unsplash
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