The Finals Criticised by Actors and Devs for Using AI-Generated Voice Overs

ign.com:

The Finals, which is currently trending on Steam after entering open beta, has faced criticism for using AI-generated voice overs instead of casting actors.

Voice actor Gianni Matragrano, who appears in Evil West, Vertigo 2, and more, criticised developer Embark Studios' decision to use AI-generated voices on X/Twitter. Matragrano said the sound in The Finals "doesn't sound good", but he and other voice actors also highlighted the impact of AI on their livelihoods and the controversy around using it.

Matragrano pointed to a July 2023 episode of Embark Studios' own Meet the Makers podcast, where two audio designers only referred to as Andreas and Carl confirmed they used "incredible" AI tools to create the voice overs in The Finals.

"We use AI with a few exceptions," Andreas said. "So all the contestant voices, like the barks, and both our commentators are AI text-to-speech. For things we call vocalisations, like player breathing, vaulting, jumping, that's something we use us in the studio to record, just grunting. We can't really get the AI to perform those kind of tasks yet."

Genshin Impact, Dying Light, and Ghostrunner 2's Kit Harrison slammed this statement on X/Twitter. "What really sticks with me is that they needed to bring in real actors to get the grunting, effort, and breathing sounds because the AI can't do it," the voice actor said. "It can't replicate the noise that I make when I stand up from my chair, but it wants to take my job? Don't make me laugh."

It was also criticised by Elsie Lovelock, who appears in Baldur's Gate 3, Wargroove, and more. "The kicker is, it still sounds like crap regardless of how realistic they think it sounds," she said on X/Twitter.

Gearbox Software narrative director Sam Winkler shared