8 votes

An AI program voiced Darth Vader in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ so James Earl Jones could finally retire

9 comments

  1. [6]
    Levantus
    Link
    How do we feel about this? At this point, Darth Vader can live completely outside any specific actor’s involvement.

    How do we feel about this? At this point, Darth Vader can live completely outside any specific actor’s involvement.

    6 votes
    1. [5]
      Thrabalen
      Link Parent
      I'm in favor of it, actually. I'd like to see more voice actors get this treatment. Kevin Conroy. Mark Hamill. Arleen Sorkin. Peter Cullen. Majel Barret-Roddenberry especially leaps to mind.

      I'm in favor of it, actually. I'd like to see more voice actors get this treatment. Kevin Conroy. Mark Hamill. Arleen Sorkin. Peter Cullen. Majel Barret-Roddenberry especially leaps to mind.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        vord
        Link Parent
        On the other hand....we'll never discover new talent if we keep re-using the same 10 top-tier voice actors. This next thought is still half-baked, but I feel that removing humans from creative...

        On the other hand....we'll never discover new talent if we keep re-using the same 10 top-tier voice actors.

        This next thought is still half-baked, but I feel that removing humans from creative endeavors removes the substance of the art created. Kind of how most procedural worlds can't hold a candle to a well-crafted one.

        I don't care about Vader/Luke/Leia/etc Star Wars anymore. Let those characters be lost to the sands of time and stop trying to shoehorn in every character at every chance.

        4 votes
        1. Thrabalen
          Link Parent
          The only problem is, with or without this tech, studios will keep returning to the characters and franchises that make them fistfulls of money. Just like Star Trek keeps coming back to the...

          The only problem is, with or without this tech, studios will keep returning to the characters and franchises that make them fistfulls of money. Just like Star Trek keeps coming back to the Enterprise, Star Wars will keep returning to Vader et al.

          And for every Vader appearance, you'll have twenty other characters with voices. And for every Star Wars, you'll have fifty other projects (many of them without precedent.) New talent will be discovered, and fans get to have that familiarity.

          4 votes
      2. [2]
        th0mcat
        Link Parent
        I'd like to move completely beyond the Galactic Empire/Skywalker Saga. I'm so far beyond sick of the same 2-3 families and core groups of characters that I don't see myself consuming any new Star...

        I'd like to move completely beyond the Galactic Empire/Skywalker Saga. I'm so far beyond sick of the same 2-3 families and core groups of characters that I don't see myself consuming any new Star Wars media until they start telling completely new stories.

        1 vote
        1. Thrabalen
          Link Parent
          I'd like to move beyond The Force. Nothin makes a Star Wars story less interesting than that to me. I loved most of the Mandalorian because of that.

          I'd like to move beyond The Force. Nothin makes a Star Wars story less interesting than that to me. I loved most of the Mandalorian because of that.

          2 votes
  2. [2]
    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link
    For anyone who wants to see/hear the tech in action, the video I posted yesterday used the same company: Last year I secretly ghost-wrote and published my best friend's autobiography as a joke....

    For anyone who wants to see/hear the tech in action, the video I posted yesterday used the same company:
    Last year I secretly ghost-wrote and published my best friend's autobiography as a joke. This year I recorded the audiobook version using a deepfake of his voice, and released it for charity.

    It's incredibly convincing, and quite scary as a result. In the wrong hands, and with ill intent, this sort of thing could be used to wreak havoc in the world, especially when combined with deepfake video technology.

    3 votes
    1. callmedante
      Link Parent
      Years ago, my uncle advised me to set a safe word or phrase with my spouse. The idea was to choose something that would identify each as the actual human to the other. The phrase needed to be...

      Years ago, my uncle advised me to set a safe word or phrase with my spouse. The idea was to choose something that would identify each as the actual human to the other. The phrase needed to be something that would not be easily guessed by an adversary. My uncle said to have this conversation somewhere completely removed from all technology, especially phones. He spent some time working in defense and still has contacts there. Even then, which had to be at least ten years ago, he and others saw the potential future of faking someone's voice using AI.

      2 votes
  3. WhyCause
    Link
    I was certain the only way we would finally see the end of "The Skywalker Saga" was if James Earl Jones died or retired. I even said this to my son the other day, with the caveat, "...unless they...

    I was certain the only way we would finally see the end of "The Skywalker Saga" was if James Earl Jones died or retired. I even said this to my son the other day, with the caveat, "...unless they use AI to re-create his voice."

    I guess it'll be a while before we're finally done with the story of the Skywalkers.

    2 votes