Hi-Rez Drops AI Voice Contract Clause Amid Protest From Voice Actors On Social Media

Let the AI debate begin.

Troy Blackburn
By Troy Blackburn, News Editor Posted:
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Hi-Rez Drops AI Voice Contract Clause Amid Protest From Voice Actors

Several voice actors expressed their displeasure with a new contract rider released by Hi-Rez which addresses using AI to replicate actor voices for their games. Hi-Rez is the parent company behind games like SMITE and Paladins.

We'll start with the contract rider as posted on the site formerly known as Twitter by Hi-Rez President Stewart Chisam. In the rider, it does (did) specifically state that "Client (Hi-Rez) agrees not to use, or sublicense, the Performance to simulate Talent's voice or likeness or to create any synthesized or "digital double" voice of likeness of Talent". It does go on to list some circumstances, such as death or a sudden inability to perform, in which the Client can use AI to simulate the actor's voice in order to complete a project, or with permission from and payment to the actor's estate to create new voice lines in the future.



Of course, AI in the world of acting is a hot topic and touchy subject at the moment, with actors such as Jennifer Hale and David Hayter weighing against the usage of AI in their profession, and AI playing a large part in the current SAG-AFTRA strike.

Although the initial outrage from some voice actors who went public against Hi-Rez seemed to believe the contract allowed for the uncontrolled recreation of voices, the rider itself does not read like that. The concern then turned to the vagueness of the "unable to perform at any foreseeable time" portion of the rider, and what that could be interpreted as. Some are concerned that simply having a scheduling conflict or the flu could allow for AI recreation of their voice.

For their part, Hi-Rez has now agreed to drop that portion of the contract totally, with President Stewart Chisam telling GamesRadar, they would certainly be willing to work with voice actors that want to opt out of the rider totally. "I don't want to have a lot of different versions of the Rider floating out there as that becomes difficult to keep track of who has what, so I've asked the lawyers to remove that part. When I was asked to review it, it seemed reasonable and I approved it, but it's not really a clause I give a shit about."

In fact, Hi-Rez has already released an updated rider without the AI clause that caused concern in it.



AI in acting and voice acting will continue to be a debate for a long time to come, especially as AI is quickly making leaps and bounds in its capabilities.

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In this article: Hi-Rez.

About the Author

Troy Blackburn
Troy Blackburn, News Editor
Troy “Noobfridge” Blackburn has been reporting on the video game industry for over a decade. Whether it’s news, editorials, gameplay videos, or streams, Noobfridge never fails to present his honest opinion whether those hot takes prove to be popular or not.

Discussion (1)

cevanth 1 month ago
Humans are mere tools for these people, as long as they can use you and get profits, they will do it without thinking about anything else but business. You can't replicate human emotions, don't tarnish the gaming industry with this fake bs. Have some respect for all the Voice Actors who made the entertainment industry great. Get real mfers.


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