Erica Lindbeck, the voice actress best known for her work in games like Persona, Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, and Mortal Kombat, has left Twitter. This came after an online feud with a content creator who used her own voice for an AI-generated video that she strongly objected to.
Lindbeck asked her followers to report this and similar videos for using Persona 5’s voice in ways she didn’t agree with. The creators of the video hit back, accusing Lindbeck of starting a “harassment campaign” over a “stupid but harmless Futaba AI cover video.” This appears to have prompted Lindbeck’s decision to leave Twitter, though it’s unclear when or if she will return.
The topic is controversial, but fans and fellow voice actors alike are rushing to defend Lindbeck. The situation got worse when the creator of the video claimed it was a harassment campaign for asking fans to report his AI content, a characterization few people seem to agree with. . The creator also has his own followings, but he re-uploads the once-deleted video.
The video that sparked this online altercation is now familiar to most of us on social media. An AI-generated voice line in which a person or character acts out a scene or covers a song. In this case, Bo was an AI cover of Futaba singing Barnum’s “Welcome to the Internet.” The re-upload is still on YouTube, and it’s pretty convincing. For some, this could definitely pass as an official voice production, so it’s easy to see why actors would be bothered by this technology, both on a professional and personal level.
Mike Pollock, who voiced Eggman for many years in the Sonic series, is one of Lindbeck’s many defenders. In his reply, he photoshopped an image of AI’s cover author tweeting, “I eat puppies!” – Claims that putting words into someone’s mouth in this way is the same as having a voice actor say something with an AI.
Unfortunately, more controversies like this are likely as AI technology improves its ability to mimic the human voice. Today, most of the conversation is dominated by people debating the ethics of AI writing and artwork. However, the recent boom in AI covers marks the advancement of this technology and poses a clear threat to voice actors. Throwing humans under buses and replacing them with bots has already proven OK, especially in the gaming industry.
Whether or not Lindbeck will return to Twitter remains to be seen, but in the meantime, Lindbeck is likely to have many followers. Meanwhile, the creator of the original video was suspended for reasons that are not clear.
