F-bombs, SAG complaints: The ‘Fortnite' AI Darth Vader controversy, briefly explained
What was supposed to be a fan-friendly Star Wars-themed new feature in Fortnite has hit some controversy faster than the Millennial Falcon flying the Kessel Run.
On May 16, to much fanfare, Fortnite debuted a new interactive chat feature that allows players of the massively popular online shooter to converse with Darth Vader and receive AI-generated responses from the iconic villain.
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But it wasn't just the chance to chop it up with a Dark Lord of the Sith that got fans eager to ignite their lightsabers online. The character would feature a near-perfect AI recreation of James Earl Jones' voice.
Lucasfilm/Epic Games
Two years before Jones' death in September 2024 at the age of 93, Vanity Fair reported that a company called Respeecher had used archival clips of the actor's performance as Vader and AI to generate new dialogue for the character in Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jones apparently signed off on the technology, allowing for the voice to be used for the character going forward.
As a part of the announcement of the latest Star Wars-Fortnite collaboration, Disney, Lucasfilm, and Fortnite publisher Epic Games shared that they had worked in conjunction with Jones' estate in bringing the feature to life. "James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it," the family of Jones said in a statement. "We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character."
It took almost no time at all for players online to begin experimenting with the AI Vader, specifically getting him to curse.
The very day of the update's launch, streamers managed to make the character repeat expletives back to them, including "f--king," and delve into more adult-themed topics, like discussion of breasts.
The disturbance in the Force was quickly fixed, however. The official Fortnite account on X replied to the viral posting, saying they "pushed a hotfix immediately and this shouldn't happen again."
Then on Monday, SAG-AFTRA weighed in. The actors union issued a charge with the National Labor Relationship Board for what it says were unfair practices. "Fortnite's signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology," the union said in a statement.
While the actors union acknowledges the companies' work with Jones' estate on the project, they take issue with its implementation.
"We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles," the union said. "However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games."
Perhaps chief among these members is actor Scott Lawrence, who voiced the character in over a dozen games since 1994 and as recently as 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
The charge comes at a moment of great tension for the industry as voice actors repped by SAG-AFTRA have been on strike since July 2024. Last week, the signatories made concessions in their "best, last, and final" offer to the union, including removing a provision that would allow for unlimited use of a digital voice replica with a buyout.
In a statement to CNET, Epic Games elaborated on some of the safety measures it put in place to avoid further ventures to the Dark Side.
"If a player is repeatedly attempting to get Darth Vader to violate our settings and instructions, he will eventually leave the squad, and the player will be unable to recruit him again in that gameplay session," the representative said. "If we become aware or receive a bug report that Darth Vader in Fortnite responded in a way he shouldn't, we investigate it and if needed, make adjustments to avoid similar responses in the future."
But as one of the most high-profile examples of an AI voice replica to date, the ripple effects from Darth Vader's dirty mouth could spread throughout the stars. Given how quickly users pushed the bot to speak out of pocket, performers and their estates may be watching this news play out in fear.
And we all know where that leads.
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