Last week a leaked video surfaced online demonstrating new technology replacing Horizon's protagonist Aloy with an AI chatbot. The Sony experiment was a jarring revelation for gaming fans who were staunchly against the move, and now Aloy's official actress, Ashly Burch, has weighed in on the troubling situation.
AI and the future of game design is still a tumultuous topic, but sadly we're already seeing lazy corner-cutting AI usage permeating the gaming sphere (Activision, I'm looking at you). In the wake of continued SAG-AFTRA's strikes, it concerning to see that developers are continuing to snub the human talent that brings their games to life.
The now-deleted video featured Sony software engineering director Sharwin Raghoebardajal chatting with AI Aloy, with fans calling it "Creepy," "ghastly," "rancid," and "cursed". Taking to Instagram, Ashly Burch explained that the game's developer, Guerrilla, got in touch to ensure her that the video "didn't reflect anything that was actively in development."
Despite their claims, Ashly told followers "I feel worried about this art form. Game performance as an art form." With strikes in action due to AI usage in the games industry, Ashly's concerns are an ever-present issue. "I feel worried not because the technology exists. Not even because game companies want to use it. Because of course they do. They always want to use technological advancements," she adds.
"I love this industry and this art form so much and I want there to be a new generation of actors. I want there to be so many more incredible game performances," Ashly says. "I want to be able to continue, to do this job, and if we don’t win, then that future is really compromised," she concludes.
In a time where tensions are high around AI in the gaming industry, Sony's leaked video presents us with an uncertain future. Using AI technology to create a more immersive, personalised gaming experience has been talked about for some time, but there's a huge difference in applying the technology to NPCs vs beloved protagonists. At the moment it's easy to lose faith in the games industry and anticipate an AI takeover, but the optimist in me hopes that it can strike a balance where AI innovation is merely an enhancement of human talent.
If you missed it, check out our initial reaction to Sony's AI-generated Aloy. If you're after more AI gaming news take a look at why Nvidia's AI characters are about to transform how we see video games.
