Summary
Jennifer Hale, the voice actor behind iconic video game characters likeMass Effect’s Commander Shepard, is speaking out about the potential dangers of generative AI. Hale’s career as a voice actor stretches back into the late 1980s, with a laundry list of roles in cartoons and video games. Aside from the female version of Commander Shepard in the first threeMass Effectgames, Jennifer Hale has also lent her voice to Naomi Hunter inMetal Gear Solid, Bastila Shan inStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Rivet inRatchet and Clank: Rift Apartamong numerous others.
In recent years,Jennifer Hale has joined many other professional voice actorsin addressing the rising prominence of generative AI, which has generated plenty of controversy due to these programs' ability to replicate an existing person’s voice without their permission. There is also concern that developers could use AI to replace human voice actors altogether, an issue that has led to the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announcing a strike against some of the biggest developers in the US on July 25.
As this strike continues, Jennifer Hale recently spoke toVarietyabout the potential dangers of AI-generated content replacing the work of human actors, artists, and developers. “AI is coming for all of us. 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,” she noted in regards to howAI has been used to replicate voice actorsin the past.
Jennifer Hale Addresses Concerns About Generative AI
Jennifer Hale also took the time to explain that the National Association of Voice Actors has gone before Congress to propose legislation that would hopefully protect people’s voices and work from beingunknowingly replicated with AI. “If you use something that originated in our body or our voices, can we please get paid?” Hale said while endorsing such measures as the proposed “No Fakes Act.” “Because now you’re using technology to take away our ability to feed our kids.”
Voice actors likeMass Effect’s Jennifer Hale haven’t been the only figures in the gaming industry to address the growing issue of generative AI. Over the past several months, companies like Square Enix and Wizards of the Coast have drawn controversy for their use and endorsements of AI, whileNintendo recently stated that it won’t use generative AIfor its first-party games.
