The voice behind the Batman: Arkham franchise’s Harley Quinn recently spoke out about AI-generated voice acting. Artificial Intelligence has grown more sophisticated in recent years and is now being used to generate content like pictures, videos, and even computer-generated voices that resemble those of actual human beings. This has proven to be a useful tool for modders and other fan creators, as shown in videos that recast Peter Parker from Marvel’s Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire or Fallout 4 mods that add new quests and AI-generated dialogue options.Warning: This article has MAJOR SPOILERS for Batman: Arkham CityHowever, as exciting as these AI content-creating tools can be, they have naturally generated concern and controversy from human artists and entertainment industry members. The primary fear is that AI will one day entirely replace the human element in video games and other creative works. Pathfinder producer Paizo recently took a hardline stance against AI art and writing, banning the use of such content in its products. Meanwhile, Persona creative director Kazuhisa Wada has expressed the opposite opinion, revealing that his team at Atlus is already looking into ways to incorporate AI artwork into future games - at least during primary art development.Tara Strong, the veteran voice actress who famously played Harley Quinn in Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham series, recently lent her own view to the growing debate over AI content on Twitter. She pointed out that AI is incapable of generating the genuine emotion that comes from a real person, making it a poor replacement for actual voice actors like herself. To demonstrate this, Strong shared a story about her days recording Harley’s reaction to the Joker dying at the end of Batman: Arkham City, in which she actually started crying in the recording booth during her scene.
Tara Strong’s video game credentials go far beyond her role as Harley Quinn in the Batman: Arkham games, as she has reprised her role as the madcap jester in both the Injustice series and countless LEGO Batman games. Additionally, she will return as Harley in next year’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which is being developed by Rocksteady and will take place in the same universe as its Batman: Arkham titles. Outside of DC, she has lent her voice to characters like Final Fantasy 10’s Rikku and Julie Sterling from Lollipop Chainsaw among countless other roles.
Strong knows all too well the importance of emotion in voice acting, especially when it comes to key scenes in video games like the Batman: Arkham games she has played Harley Quinn in. Perhaps one day AI will be able to recreate these emotions while generating voices, but for now Tara Strong believes that there is no substitute for having the genuine human element behind a recording booth or mocap headset.