Red Dead Redemption 2 actor says AI replacing voice actors is "unavoidable," even if it pains him to say it: "I just want to keep working"

The voice and motion capture actor for Red Dead Redemption 2 protagonist Arthur Morgan, Roger Clark, has shared his thoughts on the use of artificial intelligence in the video game acting field, and thinks it's "unavoidable" that AI will replace some actors. 

In a new interview with IGN, Clark said that although he believes that "the audience and customers still have a little more respect and regard for human performances", ultimately, it's "unarguable" that "AI is here to stay." Furthermore, while he thinks that AI can be used as a tool and in ways that "probably will help this industry", he's still not entirely keen about its use. 

"What I have a problem with is when it's being used to copy what's already been done before. If you can't hire Troy Baker and you just get an AI program to have him say whatever you want to say, I find that incredibly immoral," Clark said. "But there are many, many applications for AI that I know can and probably will help this industry. It pains me to say it but I think it's an unavoidable truth. For selfish reasons, I just want to keep working, you know?"

Continuing, he noted that while AI is constantly improving, at the end of the day, it's still recreating the information that's been fed into it, and recycling what's been done before. He added that the "human aspect" that real actors inherently bring with them is still a "valuable" factor which may be able to "bring a little bit more gravity to the narrative than if you know this is just randomly generated by some clever AI program."

The use of AI to replicate voices is a highly controversial topic for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most concerning aspect is what Clark mentioned about being able to make actors say absolutely anything without their consent, which can be very damaging if used to generate things that are offensive, and is also highly invasive. There's also the ongoing copyright-related concerns, as AI tools are developed using pre-existing sound files which may be copyrighted, as well as the worry that highly-sophisticated AI could put some people out of their jobs. 

Back in January, American labour union SAG-AFTRA announced a deal with an AI voice company, which it explained will allow actors to "safely create and licence a digital replica of their voice" for use in video games and interactive media projects. This caused widespread backlash amongst actors, with individuals including Deus Ex star Elias Toufexis and Starfield actor Melissa Medína expressing their concerns. 

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