The voice of Futaba Sakura inPersona 5, Erica Lindbeck, has left the social media platform Twitter after she was attacked after asking someone to take down a video that was created using AI and her voice. Lindbeck is a prominent voice actor in the industry who has had a number of roles in both anime and video games. This includes AAA franchises likeFinal Fantasy,Fire Emblem,Marvel Comics, and more. Her role inPersona 5isthe Phantom Thieves' navigatorFutaba Sakura, AKA Oracle. She was also an active user on Twitter, up until she was chased off regarding an incident involving AI generated voice acting covers.In recent years, AI generation has become a trend that has been a hot topic. Many have argued how it has become a harmful tool that can threaten the creativity and livelihood of several fields, especially in an industry that relies on expression. So much so thatAI generated art has been bannedin some circles, but one junction that is quite as popular and is also hotly contentious is AI generated voice acting. There are plenty of videos that have been uploaded recently that scrape a database of voices to make characters to say things that would never be said in their source material. Lindbeck is an actor who is uncomfortable with her voice being used in AI generated covers of her Futaba voice.RELATED:Former BioWare Writer Says AI Results In ‘Soulless Dialogue’The original video had Futaba “singing” Bo Burnham’s song “Welcome to the Internet,” which is filled with profanity and other inappropriate content, and it was made via an AI program that manipulated several voice lines that Lindbeck had recorded forPersona 5. Lindbeck had politely asked for the original uploader to remove it, which they did. However, Lindbeck was then on the receiving end of users attacking her for taking down a video that was believed to be “dumb and harmless,” to which many voice actors and other industry professionals fired back in defense of Lindbeck.
Many had cited how thisAI generated contentis essentially stealing an actor’s voice without their consent, exploiting their identities and livelihood. Other actors also stated how it can damage their careers, as when actors are signed to perform for the project, doing the voice outside the contracted performances can get them in big trouble. With AI also becoming harder to distinguish in replicating words, it can end up causing legal ramifications down the line.
Thissentiment against AI voice actinghas been prevalent throughout the industry, with big names like Jennifer Hale and David Hayter also being outspoken about it. The many actors coming to the defense of Lindbeck have stated that those who chased her off didn’t understand the ramifications or her perspective when she asked the original uploader to take the video down.
Persona 5 Royalis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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