There are few voice actors better known across gaming than Jennifer Hale. The voice of the female Shepard in Mass Effect, Bastila Shan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Rivet in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3 among many, many other roles, she’s a legend when it comes to voice acting.
And so, she’s taken it upon herself to call out AI and the threat it poses to voice actors. Speaking to Variety, Hale didn’t hold back when it came to AI. “AI is coming for all of us,” she said. “Because the truth is, AI is just a tool like a hammer. If I take my hammer, I could build you a house. I can also take that same hammer and I can smash your skin and destroy who you are.”
“If you use something that originated in our body or our voices, can we please get paid?,” she continued. “Because now you’re using technology to take away our ability to feed our kids.”
AI is seen as a growing threat in the creative industries, especially when it comes to voice acting, as machine learning is capable of taking someone else’s voice and making them say whatever it pleases. Currently, video game voice actors who are part of SAG-AFTRA are on strike due to the threat posed by AI.