The recent controversy over ChatGPT’s creators’ use of a voice similar to Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson is another example of the complexities of generative artificial intelligence and the ethical debate surrounding the technology.
OpenAI says Skye's voice, one of several voices available in its popular chatbot, is not an imitation of the actor but that of another professional using her natural speaking voice. Stated.
Still, the similarities to Johansson are striking, with the Marvel star questioning whether the voice was “eerily similar” to her own after turning down an offer to lend her voice to The System.
The company suspended the use of Sky earlier this week.
The high-profile incident has put the topic of AI voices in the spotlight, with several video game voice actors saying they are particularly vulnerable to rogue AI.
One case involved a user-created mod for the video game “Cyberpunk 2077,” which changed the main character to Adam Jensen and added a voice performance.
The problem is that Adam Jensen is the main character in another video game series, and that voice actor had not contributed his talents to the fan project, nor agreed to its creation.
“This is a performance that I can perform using just my voice,” says Elias Toufekis, who grew up in Montreal and now lives in Los Angeles. “I thought no one could do this.”
He says the mod's creator has agreed to remove it.
Toufexis, who is also known for his voice work in video games such as “Starfield,” “Assassin's Creed” and the “Splinter Cell” series, as well as his roles in live-action shows such as “The Expanse” and “Star Trek: Discovery,” said artificial intelligence is cool and has a lot of potential.
But while AI can be used to assist art, Toufexis says it shouldn't be used to create it.
Ubisoft, publisher of the “Assassin's Creed” and “Splinter Cell” games, seems to agree.
Yves Jacquier is the executive director of La Forge, a division within Ubisoft. Montreal-based La Forge aims to create innovative prototypes based on the latest academic research to improve the game creation process, its website says. Artificial intelligence falls under that mission.
“AI is there to help creators,” Jacquier says. “Creators need to have an edge and a vision, and AI is one tool to help them realize that vision.”
Jaquier said he hasn't heard of Ubisoft's AI applications taking over jobs that should be done by humans.
“When we develop these solutions, we do it together with the end users,” he says, citing an in-house tool called Ghostwriter as an example.
According to a 2023 announcement, Ghostwriter won't replace video game writers, but will help them with one of the most laborious tasks: writing dialogue, known as “bark.” The tool will generate samples that a human can select and polish.
This is essentially a filler line uttered by a non-player character, and can be something as simple as “Lie down!” or “Grenade!”
Toufexis says voicing video game sounds is a job that's disappearing due to AI, which means it could be even harder for aspiring voice actors to land the job. .
Another major concern is fair treatment.
For voice actress Jennifer Hale, it comes down to three things: First of all, we agree to use our voices. And compensation for the use of our voices,” says Hale, who was born in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, New Jersey and now lives on Vancouver Island.
“This is my voice,” says Hale, best known for his role as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series.
“This is an expression of my soul. This is an expression of my life experiences spanning decades. No one is allowed to use this without my permission.”
Hale acknowledges that AI is not an inherently harmful tool, and she says she is not against AI, just its misuse.
But the case of ChatGPT's Johansson soundalike highlights the need for protection for actors, especially voice actors.
An actor's contract is their main protection, says Lindsay Rousseau, a Los Angeles-based actor whose long career includes video games, film and performance capture.
She points to work done by the US-based National Voice Actors Association. The association has published addendums or contract supplements regarding AI that professionals can use when negotiating work.
Rousseau said the use of AI voice could become more common among smaller video game studios that don't necessarily know how to work with actors. Or have the money to pay for them.
But for big-budget projects, companies still look for big names, she says.
“They still want Jen Hales,” she says.
There's a reason people love movie stars, Toufexis says, and it's because they want to connect with the characters through the actors.
“There will be no AI Meryl Streep. That will never happen.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2024.
Curtis Ng, Canadian Press
