Voice actor Ashly Burch, best known for bringing the character Aloy to life in the Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West games, recently shared her concerns about a leaked tech demo featuring an AI imitation of her performance. In a video first posted on TikTok and later on Instagram, Burch expressed worries not just for her own career and the future of the game franchise, but also for the broader profession of game performance.

The leaked footage, originally from an internal presentation by Sony’s PlayStation Studios, showcased an AI-generated version of Aloy responding awkwardly to questions. Although Guerilla Games, the developers behind “Horizon,” clarified that the demo wasn’t part of active development and didn’t use Burch’s voice or facial data, the use of AI technology in this capacity was troubling for Burch and other voice actors.

Burch brought attention to the ongoing strike led by SAG-AFTRA against the game industry since July 2024, which aims to secure protections for performers in light of advancing AI technology. She stressed the importance of obtaining consent, fair compensation, and transparency when it comes to using AI replicas of performers.

The timing of the tech demo during the strike was deemed insensitive by Burch, who emphasized the need for measures to prevent the unauthorized use of performers’ likenesses by AI. Without these safeguards, performers could risk having their identities exploited without any recourse.

In the midst of this discussion, Burch’s message is clear: the problem isn’t the technology itself, but rather the lack of protections for performers in the rapidly changing landscape of AI in entertainment. The conversation surrounding AI in performance capture is constantly evolving, with significant implications for the industry’s future and actors’ rights.