Arc Raiders is a game about mankind pushing back against the machines who are trying to replace them, but in a twisted fate of irony, the game itself used AI in place of human voices, sparking a fiery debate around the practice.
Embark tried to dispel the backlash by explaining that it had each actor's permissions to use their likeness, and that it was easier to use an AI-based text-to-speech program than booking new recording sessions. Most were unconvinced by these excuses, worrying that such a practice would only normalise AI and risk careening into a future where actors are cut out of the creative process entirely.
PCGamesN sat down with actor Neil Newbon, who has held firm on his anti-AI stance these last few years, to discuss this debate amid the likes of Arc Raiders, Where Winds Meet, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and he is just as unconvinced by these justifications.
"The amount of money it costs to do those voice lines compared to the rest of the game's development is peanuts," he said, arguing that, while he can't comment on the specifics of Arc Raiders, using AI to manipulate someone's voice...
