The gaming industry faces a growing tension between technological innovation and the rights of voice actors as AI voice replication capabilities advance. Ashly Burch, whose performance as Aloy has been central to the PlayStation “Horizon” franchise’s success, is raising ethical concerns about an unauthorized AI replication of her character, highlighting broader questions about consent, compensation, and artistic integrity within the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike against game developers.
The controversy: Ashly Burch, voice of Aloy in the “Horizon” PlayStation games, expressed alarm over an internal Sony tech demo featuring an AI imitation of her character.
- The leaked footage showed an AI-puppeted version of Aloy stiffly answering questions, a demonstration Burch described as concerning for both her career and voice acting as an art form.
- While Guerilla Games claimed the demo “didn’t reflect anything that was actively in development” and stated no performance capture or Burch’s actual voice data was used, the timing remains problematic.
Why this matters: The demonstration surfaces amid an ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike against game companies that began in July 2024, with AI protections being a central demand.
- “What we’re fighting for is that you have to get our consent before you make an AI version of us in any form,” Burch explained in her video response shared on social media.
- She added that fair compensation and transparency about how AI doubles are used are also key points in the union’s negotiations.
The broader implications: Burch warned that if performers lose this fight for protections, they would have “no recourse” if their likenesses are appropriated by AI.
- The voice actor emphasized that technology itself isn’t the problem, but rather the game industry’s resistance to providing “common sense protections” for performers.
- The timing of Sony’s demo has been criticized as tone-deaf given the ongoing strike actions, with some viewing it as a potential warning to performers about the industry’s technological direction.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...