Aloy’s Voice Actress Says AI Replacing Game Actors Is “Not Going to Happen”

Ashly Burch, the voice actress behind Aloy in the Horizon Zero Dawn series, has spoken out about the idea of replacing actors with AI in games. Earlier this year, a video leaked showing a Sony employee talking to an AI version of Aloy. The AI answered questions and shared some game story details, which surprised many fans.

Burch explained that the demo wasn’t part of any real game development and that Sony didn’t use her actual performance in that AI clip. She talked to Eurogamer about how she feels about AI being used in future Horizon games.

She said AI could be helpful if used to make game development easier. “If we used artificial intelligence to help with clean up between the mo-cap stage and importing it into the actual game engine, that could be amazing,” Burch said. She thinks AI is good when it helps developers but isn’t sure about AI fully replacing actors.

When asked about creating an AI replica of her voice that players could interact with forever, Burch said she would need to know how the developers would control it. She mentioned a recent example where Epic Games used AI to copy James Earl Jones’ voice for Fortnite’s Darth Vader, which some players abused to make the character say bad words.

Burch added that using AI for voice or performance would need careful discussion. “It’s such a new technology, so it’s difficult to know what applications developers would want to use it for,” she said. She also pointed out that Guerrilla Games, the studio behind Horizon, values real performances. “A universe where Guerrilla just replaces every single actor they have with a robot is not going to happen.”

She noted that some studios might want to use AI to create voices or performances quickly, but it depends on what they want to achieve. “Are you trying to replace my performance? Or are you trying to streamline your process or trying to find out in the pre-production phase how things would sound in my voice?” she asked. For her, it’s about how the technology is used.

Burch also expressed concern about the impact of AI on actors starting their careers. She wants new actors to have the same opportunities she had to grow and learn in the industry. She said some jobs, like recording short voice lines for games, might be at risk of being replaced by AI. “That kind of work is essential for people to be able to make rent, and then be able to hone their craft and get better,” she said. She wants actors to keep having chances to act, even as AI tools develop.

Overall, Burch sees AI as a useful tool for developers but doesn’t think it will or should replace real actors anytime soon.

What do you think about using AI in video games? Should it be a tool for developers only, or is there a place for AI to replace actors? Share your thoughts in the comments below.