Latest news with #JamesEarlJones
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Gamers Are Making EA, Take-Two And CDPR Scared To Use AI
GTA 6 This past week, Fortnite introduced an AI Darth Vader using James Earl Jones' voice to respond to players' voice chat. It was goofy fun (and in keeping with Jones' voice rights deal), but AI is not starting to make some large publishers nervous for a few reasons. Jason Schreier has an excellent article over at Bloomberg highlights that recent reports from big companies like EA and Take-Two have addressed the issue, as have others like CDPR. On its surface, it seems like GenAI could be used as a tool in games to produce artwork, voice acting, or even game elements themselves. But these companies are starting to realize the very real risks this poses, both legally and 'reputationally.' Take-Two says that the use of AI 'presents social and ethical issues that may result in legal and reputational harm and liability. EA echoes something similar, saying that the use of AI 'may result in legal and reputational harm' which would cause players to 'lose confidence in our business and brands.' We've already heard aspects of this in the past from fan-favorite developer CDPR as well, which said: 'Use of GAI raises many legal concerns, including lack of IPR protection for content on which GAI relies, or potential inadvertent infringement of third-party IPR.' FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Cyberpunk 2077 So there are two issues here. 1) The legality of GenAI is still in flux. Yes, big tech companies from Google to Meta to OpenAI are blasting forward by training their models on the entire internet, copyrighted work they don't own. A number of content producers, from the New York Times to musicians and actors are suing various services and there have yet to be any firm decisions about what can or cannot be used with GenAI. So the issue here would be that if you use AI assets in the game, and rulings come down that this is all now illegal, you'd have to reshape large parts of your game, or even risk legal action yourself if you were wrapped up with all these other entities. 2) 'Reputational harm' is a very real thing with gamers right now. When a game is discovered to be using GenAI, it's roasted online and players deem it 'slop' and sometimes will even say they'll boycott a game because of it. Attach GenAI to your games, which is at this point, not hard to spot, and you risk associating that brand with tech everyone hates, including many of the developers actually making those games, like say, artists or writers that are having their work replaced by 'slop.' Darth Vader Even with instances like the Darth Vader AI in Fortnite, which is approved of and licensed by the family of James Earl Jones, how does that affect video game voice actors, and there is already a strike going on there where the attempt to license voices to be fed into AI is a core issue. There may be an aspect of AI more generally to help with development in more technical ways, but GenAI to create art or voicework is an entirely different category and something that as of now, has been roundly rejected by gamers to the point that this kind of things needs to work its way into financial reports. It reminds me of the whole web3/NFT craze that then turned into the metaverse crazy and then they all died because…gamers didn't want any of that. AI at large is already reshaping the world, but perhaps gamers can keep this wall up so it doesn't make it into video games. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Fortnite' Returns to Apple iOS App Store in U.S.
'Fortnite' has officially returned to Apple's iOS App Store in the U.S.. The news came on Tuesday afternoon via a post on the official X account for the Epic Games shooter. 'Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads… and on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the E.U!,' read the post. 'It'll show up in Search soon!' More from Variety SAG-AFTRA Slaps 'Fortnite' With Unfair Labor Practice Complaint Over James Earl Jones' AI-Recreated Voice of Darth Vader James Earl Jones' Darth Vader Returns to 'Fortnite' Using AI Technology 'Fortnite' on iOS Goes 'Offline Worldwide Until Apple Unblocks' App Store Release Submission As of now, 'Fortnite' will not appear if searched on the App Store. However, the game can be downloaded on iPhone and iPad via a link shared in the post announcing the return. 'Fortnite's' return to Apple platforms comes almost a month after a District Court in California found the tech juggernaut willfully violated a court order in its suit against publisher Epic Games. According to legal documents obtained by Variety, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said, 'For the reasons set forth herein, the Court finds Apple in willful violation of this Court's 2021 Injunction which issued to restrain and prohibit Apple's anticompetitive conduct and anticompetitive pricing. Apple's continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated.' In the suit, Epic Games argued that Apple was acting as a monopoly by taking a 30% cut on all in-app purchases while strictly prohibiting all other third-party payment methods. In response to the ruling, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney wrote on X, 'NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple's 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there.' 'Fortnite' and other Epic titles were removed from the App Store back in August 2020 after Epic filed the antitrust suit against Apple. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Fortnite's Darth Vader is AI-powered. Voice actors are rebelling.
Months after the death of James Earl Jones, the booming voice of Darth Vader, Fortnite players are having in-game conversations with the "Star Wars" villain about being a Jedi and his conflict with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sometimes his responses have been witty: "I sense no connection to the force within you." Others were comedic, with Darth Vader telling one curious player that lightsabers were weapons, "not gardening tools." Thank -- or blame -- artificial intelligence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari Undo A few years before Jones died, he agreed to let AI learn from archival recordings of his vocal performance, and his estate has publicly supported the actor's presence in Fortnite. But the new collaboration has been contentious because of a larger battle over AI that has led actors to strike against video game companies for more than nine months. SAG-AFTRA, the union representing tens of thousands of actors, filed an unfair labour practice charge Monday that said the use of AI to generate Jones' voice in Fortnite had violated the union's right to negotiate changes to its bargaining agreement. Live Events The charge, which was filed with the National Labour Relations Board, accuses Llama Productions , a subsidiary of Epic Games, of "making unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment" without providing notice to the union or allowing the opportunity to bargain. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories David Hoppe, a managing partner at Gamma Law, a law firm that focuses on media and technology industries, said the complaint was subject to challenge on a number of fronts. "But the goal here may be principally to bring public attention back to the issues of performers' rights and the challenges of A.I. in video game production," he said in an email. Epic did not respond to a request for comment. A union spokesperson said AI use that displaced workers needed to be bargained. "While the union is generally very supportive of employers' use of A.I. as a tool to enhance the audience experience, employers cannot implement use of such tools without involving the union first," the spokesperson said in a statement. "If they fail to do so, the union will seek to hold them accountable." The union said in a news release that it celebrated the right of estates to control the use of digital replicas but that it had to protect working actors, including those who had previously matched Darth Vader's voice in video games. When Fortnite players talk with Darth Vader, their audio is sent to Gemini, a conversation chatbot created by Google, to generate a response from the character, Epic says on its website. After clips of Darth Vader cursing and using inappropriate phrases circulated on social media, Epic said it had issued a fix to prevent such occurrences. The Jones family said the actor's voice was inseparable from the "Star Wars" story. "He always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it," it said in a statement. "We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both long-time fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character." Whether the union's complaint will be successful remains to be seen. But William Watson, a professor of learning design and technology at Purdue University, said that now was the time to have this fight. "If you look at social media and tech companies, it's very clear that society cannot trust them to be making decisions outside of their best interests," he said, pointing to the number of times that Meta has been accused of using features that hook children to its platform. He likened the moment to Pandora's box. "Before we open it, we need to understand what sort of guardrails we need put in place, both in terms of ethics of the algorithms and in terms of displacement of people's jobs and careers," Watson said. "That's certainly coming down the line across all sorts of industries. But ultimately, AI is here to augment what we as humans can do, not just be a detrimental force and replacing people."
Japan Today
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Actors' union sues Fortnite over AI Darth Vader
The makers of the popular Fortnite game have created an AI version of Darth Vader, using the voice of late actor James Earl Jones that allows players to interact with the Sith Lord An actors' union is suing the makers of the Fortnite video game over the use of AI to create an interactive Darth Vader, it said. Fortnite announced last week it had obtained permission from the family of James Earl Jones to make a chatty "Star Wars" villain based on the late actor's voice work in the smash hit space opera series. Using AI models, developer Epic Games introduced the Emperor's consigliere into Battle Royale, a player-versus-player version of Fortnite in which squads form to defeat other contestants online. Users were quick to adopt the Sith Lord on their missions, posting clips of their interactions with one of cinema's most famous bad guys. Many delighted in the character's apparent wit, laughing as he tells them off for poor technique, or suggesting that they are cheating. "The empire has no need for fast food," he chides one player who asks what his McDonald's order would be. "If I were forced to endure such a culinary experience, I would take a Chicken Selects Meal with large fries and a Coca-Cola drink." But actors' union SAG-AFTRA was not amused, claiming the use of AI in video games puts performers out of work. "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," a statement said Monday. "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." The union, which says it represents around 160,000 people, says Epic's subsidiary did not talk to its negotiators over how AI would be used in the game. SAG-AFTRA said it had filed a claim for unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency that protects workers' rights to organize and to negotiate. Epic Games did not immediately respond to AFP's queries, but a statement released last week cited Jones's family saying they were pleased with the project. "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," the family said. Performers have become concerned about the use of artificial intelligence in films, TV and video games. Improving technology makes it increasingly possible to digitally recreate the audio and visual likeness of an actor. The strikes that crippled Hollywood in 2023 stemmed in part from fears that studios would seek to use digital models to replace human performers and creators. Video game actors began their own strike against major players in the sector in July 2024. © 2025 AFP
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Fortnite's Darth Vader Controversy, Explained
David Prowse as Darth Vader in a scene from the film 'Star Wars', 1977. (Photo by 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images) Darth Vader has been added to Fortnite, and the iconic Star Wars villain has sparked controversy, debate and a legal challenge from SAG-AFTRA. This version of Vader is an NPC companion who can fight alongside players and speak to them in real time, thanks to generative AI. At best, Darth Vader parrots vaguely Vaderish lines (boasting of the power of the Force, and so forth), but of course, Fortnite players quickly managed to make Vader break character and say something offensive. Hallucinations and the slippery, unpredictable nature of language makes safeguarding a generative AI model a fiendishly difficult task, and some players managed to break the guardrails. Almost immediately, Vader was saying slurs and swearing at players. This was a bad look, given Fortnite's young user base, but there were also plenty of wholesome, genuinely funny moments that emerged from the AI-generated chaos. Once the novelty wore off and the capacity to offend was patched out by Epic Games, players started to question the ethics of the Fortnite experiment. The use of generative AI to mimic the distinctive vocal delivery of James Earl Jones sparked backlash from some commentators who felt that the stunt was disrespectful. However, the AI-generated voice was created in collaboration with Jones' estate, and Jones himself assisted in training an AI voice clone before his death, to ensure that Vader would live on, in some form. Whether or not Jones would have wanted his character to feature in Fortnite is debatable, but strangely enough, Disney's Star Wars has inspired similar debates in the past. Disney has been dabbling in digital necromancy ever since Rogue One, which featured a recreation of Peter Cushing's likeness as Grand Moff Tarkin. Digital recreations of a young Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill (as Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker) have also appeared in the franchise. At the time, Disney's decision proved controversial, as the characters could have simply been portrayed by young actors. Currently, replicating the likeness of a performer via generative AI is difficult and costly. However, generative AI has proved a potent threat to the livelihood of voice actors, with the technology able to replicate voices quickly and cheaply, even if the results sound rather flat. Epic Games used a combination of Google's Gemini and ElevenLabs' Flash v2.5 to generate Vader's responses. Fortnite's Darth Vader, when he's not swearing at players, isn't particularly interesting to talk to—he's a watered down recreation of an iconic character. The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) took note of Fortnite's AI-generated Darth Vader and responded with a press release: 'Fortnite's signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology. Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms. As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against Llama Productions.' It should be noted that SAG-AFTRA is not questioning the right of performers to license AI clones of themselves, but highlighting that Fortnite's Darth Vader could have been played by a voice actor. "However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members," the union wrote, "including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games."
