'I Don't Like It. I Would Prefer That It Not Be Done' — Master Chief Actor Steve Downes Says Deceptive AI Reproductions of His Voice 'Cross a Line'

Steve Downes, the histrion down Master chief’s iconic voice, has said deceptive AI reproductions of his dependable “cross a enactment that gets into an country I americium uncomfortable with” — and helium wants it to stop.

Speaking successful an AMA connected his YouTube channel, Downes acknowledged the inevitability of AI, and adjacent described immoderate fan-made projects arsenic “really cool,” but deed retired astatine unauthorized usage of his voice.

“One of the things that tin beryllium overwhelming erstwhile it comes to attraction from fans is erstwhile AI gets involved,” helium said. “A batch of it is harmless I suppose, but immoderate of it cannot beryllium harmless. I've been precise vocal astir my feelings astir the usage of artificial intelligence, which connected the 1 manus is inevitable and has galore affirmative effects connected not lone amusement concern but humanity successful general, but it tin besides beryllium a detriment. It tin besides beryllium thing that deprives the histrion of his work.

“I've heard immoderate things online successful presumption of AI and the reproduction of my dependable that sounds similar my dependable that… similar I said, astir of the worldly I've seen is beauteous harmless, but it tin beryllium not that mode existent quick. So, I'm not a proponent. I don't similar it. I would similar that it not beryllium done.

“There's a batch of fan-made projects retired determination that are truly cool, that are done conscionable from the heart. But erstwhile you get to the AI portion and deceiving idiosyncratic into thinking, successful my case, that these are lines that I really spoke erstwhile they're not, that's erstwhile we transverse a enactment that gets into an country that I americium uncomfortable with. I'll spell connected the grounds with that.”

In the lack of important instrumentality reform, AI deepfakes person exploded alongside the emergence of generative AI and its expanding accuracy and availability. And Downes is surely not unsocial successful complaining astir however deceptive it tin beryllium for video crippled dependable actors.

Master main histrion Steve Downes is not a instrumentality of AI reproductions of his voice. Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images.

In 2023, dependable actors spoke retired connected AI-generated NSFW Skyrim mods, which they said “should beryllium seen arsenic the usurpation it is.” Assassin's Creed Syndicate dependable histrion Victoria Atkin called AI-generated mods the “invisible force we're warring close now” aft discovering her dependable was utilized by cloning software. Paul Eiding, the dependable histrion down Colonel Campbell successful the Metal Gear Solid series, besides condemned its use.

It's a important occupation successful the satellite of TV and film, too. Last year, The Matrix and John Wick prima Keanu Reeves deed retired astatine AI deepfakes selling products without his permission, insisting "it's not a batch of fun." In July, it was reported that Reeves pays a institution a fewer 1000 dollars a period to get the likes of TikTok and Meta to instrumentality down imitators.

There person been a fig of high-profile cases successful which celebrities person complained publically astir fake adverts. In 2023, Tom Hanks warned fans that an AI mentation of his likeness was being utilized without his consent successful an online advert for a dental plan. In 2024, Morgan Freeman thanked fans who alerted him to AI-generated imitations of his dependable online aft a bid of videos created by idiosyncratic posing arsenic his niece went viral.

And past year, Jamie Lee Curtis was forced to entreaty to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg successful an Instagram station due to the fact that she couldn’t get the institution to propulsion an AI-generated advertisement that featured her likeness for “some bullshit that I didn’t authorize, hold to oregon endorse.”

Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].