The voice behind theBatman: Arkhamfranchise’s Harley Quinn recently spoke out about AI-generated voice acting. Artificial Intelligence has grown more sophisticated in recent years and is now being used to generate content like pictures, videos, and even computer-generated voices that resemble those of actual human beings. This has proven to be a useful tool for modders and other fan creators, as shown in videos that recast Peter Parker fromMarvel’s Spider-Manwith Tobey Maguire orFallout 4mods that add new questsand AI-generated dialogue options.Warning: This article has MAJOR SPOILERS for Batman: Arkham CityHowever, as exciting as these AI content-creating tools can be, they have naturally generated concern and controversy from human artists and entertainment industry members. The primary fear is that AI will one day entirely replace the human element in video games and other creative works.Pathfinderproducer Paizo recently took a hardline stanceagainst AI art and writing, banning the use of such content in its products. Meanwhile,Personacreative director Kazuhisa Wada has expressed the opposite opinion, revealing that his team at Atlus is already looking into ways to incorporate AI artwork into future games - at least during primary art development.RELATED:Persona Team Has Controversial Opinions About AI ArtTara Strong, the veteran voice actress who famously played Harley Quinn in Rocksteady’sBatman: Arkhamseries, recently lent her own view to the growing debate over AI content on Twitter. She pointed out that AI is incapable of generating the genuine emotion that comes from a real person, making it a poor replacement for actual voice actors like herself. To demonstrate this, Strong shared a story about her days recording Harley’s reaction to the Joker dying at the end ofBatman: Arkham City, in which she actually started crying in the recording booth during her scene.
Tara Strong’s video game credentialsgo far beyond her role as Harley Quinn in theBatman: Arkhamgames, as she has reprised her role as the madcap jester in both theInjusticeseries and countlessLEGO Batmangames. Additionally, she will return as Harley in next year’sSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which is being developed by Rocksteady and will take place in the same universe as itsBatman: Arkhamtitles. Outside of DC, she has lent her voice to characters likeFinal Fantasy 10’s Rikku and Julie Sterling fromLollipop Chainsawamong countless other roles.
Strong knows all too well the importance of emotion in voice acting, especially when it comes to key scenes in video games liketheBatman: Arkhamgamesshe has played Harley Quinn in. Perhaps one day AI will be able to recreate these emotions while generating voices, but for now Tara Strong believes that there is no substitute for having the genuine human element behind a recording booth or mocap headset.
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