"We're not going to use f***ing AI to do it, I will find the money to pay humans," says dev of lovely Star Fox-style roguelike looking to add voice acting

One developer behind a fabulous recent roguelike is planning to add voice acting post-launch, and he's strongly intent on doing it the old-fashioned way: with actual human voices.

Aaron San Filippo, the director of Whisker Squadron: Survivor, a self-styled "cosmic roguelite on-rails shooter" which many have affectionately compared to Nintendo's iconic Star Fox series, says he understands the technical appeal of AI-generated voice acting, but argues that the creative and ethical cons outweigh the pros.

"My goal is to add VO to Whisker Squadron: Survivor and we're not going to use fucking AI to do it," said Filippo in a Twitter post Wednesday. "I will find the money to pay humans and it will be awesome. AI voices are a technical marvel, and also like most current AI creative endeavors, lifeless and ethically dubious."

Latest Videos From

The rapid rise in AI-generated content has sparked a contentious debate about the implications for the future of the video game industry, particularly in development and voice talent. Back in November, voice actors from Star Wars to Starfield spoke out about Microsoft's potentially devastating decision to partner with a company to help generate AI character dialogue, and just this week, another group of high-profile video game actors slammed US union SAG-AFTRA's new agreement with an AI voice tech company.

The outspoken Filippo previously made headlines in October when Whisker Squadron: Survivor added an accessibility feature which, for whatever reason, sparked some small, sad outcry in Steam reviews. Filippo responded: "Sorry, not sorry."

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.