Horizon Actor Ashly Burch Says Sony's AI Aloy Video Left Her Feeling 'Worried About Game Performance as an Art Form'

Ashly Burch, the voice behind Aloy in the Horizon series, has recently addressed a leaked AI-generated video featuring her character. The video, which surfaced last week, was reported by The Verge and showcased Sony's internal technology demonstrating AI-powered characters. Despite the leak, Sony has not yet responded to IGN's request for comment on the matter.

In the now-deleted video, Sony Interactive Entertainment's director of software engineering, Sharwin Raghoebardajal, engaged in a conversation with an AI version of Aloy. The interaction was facilitated through voice prompts, with AI-generated speech and facial animations. Aloy's response to a query about her well-being was, "Hello, I'm managing alright. Just dealing with a sore throat. How have you been?" However, the voice was noticeably robotic, akin to typical text-to-speech generators, and Aloy's facial expressions lacked the naturalness of human performance.

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Burch, who has lent her voice to Aloy across all four Horizon games—Zero Dawn, Forbidden West, Call of the Mountain, and Lego Horizon Adventures—used TikTok to discuss the video. She confirmed that Horizon's developer, Guerrilla, had informed her that the tech demo was not indicative of any active development and did not utilize any of her performance data. This clarification likely dismisses the possibility of AI Aloy appearing in the upcoming Horizon multiplayer game or Horizon 3. Burch noted, however, that Sony Interactive Entertainment, Guerrilla's parent company, holds ownership over the character of Aloy.

Expressing her concerns, Burch highlighted the potential threat to game performance as an art form. She leveraged the AI video to shed light on the ongoing strike by video game voice actors, which has recently impacted several high-profile projects. The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has been negotiating for AI protections, yet remains "frustratingly far apart" from the industry bargaining group on crucial issues.

"Currently what we’re fighting for is, you have to get our consent before you make an AI version of us in any form, you have to compensate us fairly, and you have to tell us how you’re using this AI double," Burch explained. She expressed her worry not about the existence of the technology itself, but about the potential lack of protections for actors whose performances might be used without consent or compensation. Burch emphasized her love for the industry and her desire for future generations of actors to thrive, underscoring the importance of winning the strike to protect the future of game performance.

Burch clarified that her critique was not aimed at any specific company, including Guerrilla, but rather at the broader issue of lacking protections during the strike. She highlighted the availability of temporary union contracts that offer the protections the actors are seeking, urging game companies to sign these agreements. "I believe we deserve to be protected," she stated firmly.

@ashly.burch let us speak on AI aloy

♬ original sound - Ashly Burch

Generative AI remains a contentious issue within the video game and entertainment industries, which have faced significant layoffs recently. The technology has drawn criticism for ethical, rights-related, and quality concerns. For example, Keywords Studios' attempt to develop a game using entirely AI failed, as the company admitted to investors that AI could not replace human talent.

Despite such setbacks, several companies continue to explore generative AI. Activision, for instance, disclosed using AI for some assets in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, amid controversy over an AI-generated zombie Santa loading screen. The voice actor strike has already affected games like Destiny 2 and World of Warcraft, with some NPCs left unvoiced. Last year, SAG-AFTRA struck League of Legends after Riot allegedly attempted to circumvent the strike, and Activision recast characters in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 following player backlash. Recently, two voice actors for Zenless Zone Zero discovered their replacements through patch notes.

Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions and product at PlayStation Studios, has commented on the importance of AI in gaming, particularly for Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers who seek personalized experiences. He suggested that AI could enable non-player characters to interact more personally with players, aligning with the younger generations' expectations for digital personalization and meaningful experiences.