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Horizon Actor Ashly Burch Says Sony's AI Aloy Video Left Her Feeling 'Worried About Game Performance as an Art Form'

By Emery: Apr 23,2025

Ashly Burch, the voice behind Aloy in the Horizon series, recently spoke out about a leaked internal Sony video featuring an AI-generated version of her character. This video, which surfaced last week, was highlighted by The Verge and showed Sony Interactive Entertainment's director of software engineering, Sharwin Raghoebardajal, engaging in a conversation with an AI-powered Aloy. The AI version of Aloy, using a robotic voice and stiff facial animations, responds to Raghoebardajal's inquiry about her well-being by mentioning a sore throat.

Burch, who has lent her voice to Aloy across four Horizon games, including "Zero Dawn," "Forbidden West," "Call of the Mountain," and "Lego Horizon Adventures," addressed the issue on TikTok. She confirmed that she was informed by Horizon developer Guerrilla that the tech demo was not part of any ongoing project and did not utilize any of her performance data. Burch expressed concern over the future of game performance as an art form and used the incident to shed light on the ongoing strike by video game voice actors.

The strike, led by the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), seeks to establish protections against the use of AI in replicating actors' performances. Burch emphasized the importance of consent, fair compensation, and transparency in the use of AI doubles. She highlighted the broader implications for the industry, expressing fear that without proper protections, the future of game acting could be jeopardized.

Burch also pointed out the existence of temporary union contracts that currently offer the protections the striking actors are demanding, which are available for game companies to sign immediately. Her support for the strike is rooted in a desire to protect the career and art form she loves.

The use of generative AI in video games remains a controversial topic, with mixed reactions from players and creators alike. While some companies, like Keywords Studios, have faced challenges with AI-generated content, others, such as Activision, have integrated AI into their development processes, as seen with "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6." The voice actor strike has already impacted games like "Destiny 2," "World of Warcraft," and "League of Legends," with noticeable changes in voice acting.

Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions and head of product at PlayStation Studios, has emphasized the importance of AI in catering to the personalization demands of Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers, suggesting that AI could enhance player interactions with non-player characters.