The voices behind Diablo 4’s Male Sorcerer class share their concerns about the use of AI in voice acting and its impact on the industry as a whole.
AI tools seem to be getting better by the day, so it’s no surprise voice actors are concerned about the future use of technology in video games.
Joseph Valderrama is an accomplished British actor whose on-screen credits include blockbuster movies like Batman, Specter and even the 2022 adaptation of Uncharted. He’s also best known for voicing his video games, including Nintendo’s turn-based RPG LiveAlive, and his hit co-op action-adventure It Takes Two as his cowering husband Cody. ‘s hits to give it that tone.
His most recent role was in the top-down dungeon crawler Diablo 4, playing a very stoic male sorcerer class. The game comes out at a time when the industry is buzzing with his AI advances, and Valderrama offered his opinion on his own stance on the new technology and its impact on voice acting.
As a reminder, the team at Activision Blizzard doesn’t appear to be using AI for Diablo 4’s vocal performances. However, High on Life and other AAA games use AI tools to assist with scripting and dialogue pacing. I can’t help but feel that Valderrama and his fellow artists’ concerns are somewhat justified (via Sky News).
“It’s completely personal, but I’m horrified by it,” Valderrama said. “I think this is a very dangerous way to go, and I personally don’t see what the benefits are for actors and artists.” [and] Besides saving companies money, it serves creative people. In addition to putting voice actors’ lives in jeopardy, what he’s most concerned about is what else will be lost.
“What you are risking is losing your human identity, which is at the core of being alive.”
appetite for destruction
Social media should be searched for anecdotes, positive or negative, about AI and its use across a wide range of industries and professions. Opponents paint a grim picture of the possible consequences for society. Valderrama is also firmly in it.
“In my honest opinion, this is like the scientists who developed the atomic bomb,” he says. “If you eliminate some of people’s ability to earn money, you eliminate some of their ability to buy things. It’s completely self-destructive.”Like many of us. , he also struggles to understand how video games can benefit society, let alone video games. “I have no idea how it will end.”
Of course, voice acting in video games isn’t the only area that could be affected by advances in AI. Most recently, Dr. Jeffrey Hinton, widely known as the “Godfather of AI,” left his job at Google to dedicate his full time to warning people and businesses about the dangers of technology.
On a lighter note, Valderrama suggests a good way to actively use AI. “Football referees are the only people I think can apply AI well,” he laughs.
