Ned Luke, the actor known for his portrayal of Michael De Santa in Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5), has publicly criticized Web3 company WAME for the seemingly unlicensed use of his voice in an AI audio chatbot. Read on to know more.
GTA 5 Michael Voice Actor Slams WAME for AI Chatbot Using His Voice
The Use of the Actor's Voice Was Seemingly Unlicensed
Ned Luke, who voiced and portrayed Michael in GTA 5, expressed his vehement disapproval in a post on Twitter (X) of the seemingly unlicensed use of his voice in a Michael AI chatbot. In his tweet, Luke condemned WAME, expressing that "there's nothing cool about ripping people off."
The actor further added in a separate tweet in reply to fellow voice actor, Roger Clark:
"I'm not worried about being replaced, Roger. I just hate these f*ckers, and am pissed as f*ck that our sh*tty union is so damn weak that this will soon be an issue on legit work, not just some lame d*ucheb*g tryna make $$ off of our voices."
WAME Takes Down Tweet and Chatbot After Actor's Call Out
WAME initially promoted its chatbot by tweeting a link with the message: "Any GTA fans around here? Now take your gaming experience to another level. Try having a realistic voice conversation with Michael De Santa, the protagonist of GTA 5, right now!"
Luke, in response, tagged Rockstar Games and the SAG-AFTRA union, likely seeking their attention and intervention regarding the use of his voice and the GTA character. The actor's objection presumably prompted WAME to delete relevant tweets and remove the chatbot from the internet.
This incident follows Rockstar Games' shut down of the Sentient Streets AI mod for GTA 5 in the past year. The AI mod allowed players to engage in voice conversations with non-player characters (NPC) using their real voices. Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, issued a DMCA takedown of the mod.
In a related development, SAG-AFTRA recently announced a new deal aimed at protecting actors from unauthorized AI replications of their voices. However, some voice actors criticized the deal, particularly the agreement with AI firm Replica Studios. The deal allowed the creation and licensing of digital replicas of actors' voices for use in video game development and interactive media projects.
Source:
GTA 5 actor calls out “garbage” AI chatbot of his voice
GTA 5 Michael actor attacks AI company for using his voice in a chatbot of his character
GTA 5 Michael Actor Not Happy About AI Ripping Off His Voice
