AI Will Destroy Voice Actors and the Gamers Will Cheer
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I don't agree, it's like saying digital art will end the use of paints. No, not really.
These aren't technical problems. They are meta-physical problems. They are problems of human expressions, holding unspoken context, and the containing information about human relationships (with other people or things), that are not well documentable or quantifiable by a program running a simulacrum of a person's voice.
AI is being treated like it is something fundamentally unknowable as a technological advance, but it isn't. In every single instance where automation has been introduced it was an increase in human productivity and efficiency for economic purposes. It did not end fundamental human expressionism. Acoustic instruments were not eliminated by electric ones. CGI did not remove the existence of practical effects. Movies and Radio did not end the existence of Plays or Opera.
Unlike economic trade-craft. Human expression has no "efficiency requirement". The ice industry uses far fewer people than it once did, even to the point where most of all ice in the US is generated by machine. But anything involving human expression is never operating off of an efficiency requirement. Art, in particular, has no efficiency requirement at all. It's purpose is metaphysical, not material. There is no real productivity improvement focus. Techniques can be streamlined, but archaic methods of expression are not eliminated simply because you can "produce more expression more efficiently", that's a total misunderstanding of the concept.
Voice Actors will still be used, and I absolutely agree with your point that VA's are probably going to do some kind of personal AI library that will actually be legally enshrined as their own personal property (that a studio could then purchase and train AI off of in order to replicate their voice for a price... that will be very interesting to see the law examine this concept). However, it is still acting. And as such, it will never go away. AI will just do what every other automation does: eliminate the least useful parts of the activity.
Oh I dont think there won't by ANY voice actors, just that they will be the exception. A selling point for certain market segments in fact. "Oh wow this production features a super famous HUMAN voice actor." VA, like the visual arts, will become more like a high-value craft trade making bespoke creations. It won't be the industry standard, for better or worse.
We'll have to agree to disagree on the metaphysical aspect. Perhaps I just don't hold (voice) actors in high enough esteem. I admit they have a talent that I don't, but they might as well be advanced parrots. It's not an issue of denying the artistic, "human" element - maybe you hear what I don't. It's just that most gamers like me only need something that's "good enough". The masses don't understand and don't care about high art in their shooty games.
On all that I agree. I just think this isn't a good example of that, not as strong as the visual arts. Voice acting is a more advanced form of screwing widgets together that factory robots can do. Yeah you still have people managing the factory, and people filling in the gaps, so I certainly don't ascribe to the socialists' panic that AI will steal everyone's jobs. You'll still have some people in the industry doing things only humans can do.