Yesterday I raised concerns that Activision’s (and other companies) use of generative AI in video game development could lead to more layoffs (1900 jobs lost already). Especially, voice actors and sound designers might be their next target.
Today, SAG-AFTRA voice actors announced a strike against companies like Disney, Activision, EA, and Warner Bros. to make them stop using generative AI. But the use of AI doesn’t only affect artists, audio developers, and voice actors; it will also impact YOU, the player.
Activision now has its own tech that can listen to your voices and your reactions during gameplay to train its machine learning models.
These models will then create audio for NPCs.
The tech in question describes a method for using machine learning to generate more realistic audio reactions for non-player characters (NPCs) in video games.
The tech will be used to create audio reactions for virtual game characters that sound more like real human players in multiplayer games. The system captures audio reactions of actual human players.
It correlates these reactions with specific in-game events that triggered them. This data is then used to train a neural network (a type of machine learning model).
If my understanding of this patent is correct, then this is a scary breach of privacy. Without any consent from the player, Activision will be using their voice data to train its machine learning models aka AI.
Alternately, Activision may be hiring people, recording their reactions, and then training AI. But to train any AI you need a really large dataset so I don’t think that is the case here.
With all that’s going on with AI use in the industry, it is important for Activision to clarify this.
I usually end patent related news stories by saying that patents are filed all the time and not all are implemented. But this time it’s different… the implementation might have begun since generative AI use is already bad enough that voice actors have gone on Strike.
Games, like most other content online these days (thanks to Google and Open AI) are about to become soulless.
