The actor who played Michael in GTA 5, Ned Luke called out AI audio chatbot company WAME who used his voice likeness.
The AI discontent has risen again! The actor known for his voice as Michael De Santa in Grand Theft Auto 5, Ned Luke expressed his anger about the Web3 company WAME for making an unofficial AI audio chatbot of his voice. Luke posted a message on Twitter/X on Sunday. WAME was offering an AI chatbot, which pretended to be the Michael character, but rather than just a text chat, this was a voice chat, using an AI interpretation of Luke’s voice, which could have him say anything.
The GTA actor reshared the post from WAME, which was advertised as a way for GTA fans to have a “realistic voice conversation” with Michael. “This is ****ing bull****,” Luke wrote in response, tagging WAME. “Absolutely nothing cool about ripping people off with some lame computer estimation of my voice. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS GARBAGE…” Luke continued to write in retaliation. He even signed off with a reference to GTA‘s Wanted Level system, “Grand Theft Vocal” with five star emojis.
Luke also tagged Red Dead Redemption 2 star Roger Clark, who voiced protagonist Arthur Morgan and the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA in his tweet. Clark has been in his own battle with AI. Last week, SAG-AFTRA announced a new deal claiming it would protect actors from unauthorized AI replications of their voices. Despite this new deal, it was still criticized because it included an agreement with AI firm Replica Studios.
The agreement allowed the firm to “safely create and license a digital replica of [an actor’s] voice”, with these licensed voices then able to “be used in video game development and other interactive media projects from pre-production to final release”. This led to an outcry from many voice actors in the video game industry, including Apex Legends voice actor Erika Ishii and Starfield actor Elias Toufexis complaining that nobody asked them to agree to such a deal.
WAME shared a statement with Eurogamer that addressed the use of the GTA actor’s voice: “In light of the recent controversy surrounding the utilization of Mr. Ned Luke’s voice in our application, we at WAME wish to express our profound understanding and concern,” it wrote. “This incident has highlighted the intricate interplay between the advancement of AI technology and the ethical and legal realms.”
WAME continued to say that their AI voice based on Luke’s voice was independently synthesized and fine-tuned, resulting in a unique creation entirely by AI”. It was not made for “commercial exploitation”, WAME claimed. WAME has since removed the chatbot as they called this incident a “pivotal moment in harmonizing AI technology with relevant legal statutes.” AI in the gaming industry will continue to be a hot topic, with some companies embracing the tech. Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu stated how they will be “aggressive in applying AI” in his annual new year letter.
