GTA 5 Actor Ned Luke Denounces Unauthorized AI Chatbot Using His Voice
In a recent outcry against the controversial use of AI-generated voices, Ned Luke, renowned for his portrayal of Michael De Santa in GTA 5, has expressed strong disapproval towards a company employing his voice without permission to create a Michael AI chatbot. Luke revealed that the technology was also misused to fabricate clips that falsely depicted him engaging in racist rants, potentially aiming to tarnish his reputation.
Luke’s criticism surfaced in response to a now-deleted post on X/Twitter by AI company WAME, promoting its AI Michael chatbot, allowing users to engage in “a realistic voice conversation with Michael De Santa.” Luke clarified that neither he nor Rockstar Games had been approached for consent regarding the use of his voice in creating the chatbot. He denounced the act, stating, “This is fking bullst WAME. Absolutely nothing cool about ripping people off with some lame computer estimation of my voice. Don’t waste your time on this garbage.” Luke humorously referred to the incident as “Grand Theft Vocal” and incorporated a five-star wanted rating, tagging Rockstar Games and the SAG-AFTRA actors union.
The backlash occurs amid recent discontent within the industry over SAG-AFTRA’s AI voice usage agreement, which some voice actors claim did not seek their input.
WAME responded by removing the Michael chatbot and all references to the AI. In a statement to PCGamesN, the company expressed understanding of the controversy and its commitment to protecting the rights of voice actors and creators. WAME acknowledged the intricate balance between AI technology advancement and ethical-legal considerations.
The incident caught the attention of Roger Clark, another voice actor associated with Rockstar Games, known for his role as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2. Clark emphasized that the authentic Michael could never be replaced. Luke clarified that his frustration was primarily directed at the chatbot creators and SAG-AFTRA.
Additionally, Luke raised concerns about an AI-generated voice resembling him being exploited to create racist content aimed at causing harm. He stated, “I have assholes using AI to create bulls** racist rants to try to get me canceled.” Luke stressed the urgency of addressing such misuse of technology.*
Voice actors have been actively vocal against the use of AI recreations of their voices, citing instances of being compelled to relinquish voice rights as part of contracts. The controversy surrounding AI voice clones gained prominence, with CD Projekt Red using an AI-generated voice for a character in Cyberpunk 2077 after the original actor’s death in 2021.
