Voice Actors Speak Out on AI-Generated NSFW Skyrim Mods: ‘It Should be Seen as the Violation It Is’

Skyrim’s pervasive modding scene is infamous in the video game industry for extending the life of one of Bethesda’s greatest games. But now the world of mods is in a state of controversy due to the rise of AI-generated voice clips of him based on his real-life Skyrim voice actors within mods. Even if that doesn’t raise enough ethical issues already, some of his mods feature pornographic AI voice performances, causing backlash and outcry in the voice acting community.

This issue was first reported by game radar, alerted Nexus Mods, a mod distributor that hosts many of the Skyrim porn mods in question. When IGN reached out to Nexus Mods for comment on the matter, a spokesperson simply linked to the site’s current policy regarding AI content, which includes, in part, “AI-generated mod content. does not violate our rules, but may be removed if you receive a message like this.” Credible complaints from affected creators/rights owners. ”

Twitter user @Robbie92_ pointed out the practice of AI voice cloning in Skyrim’s mod scene late last month, tagging a number of voice actors who have been influenced. Robbie said the actors’ voice performances were primarily fed into an AI cloning tool called Eleven Labs to generate the AI ​​voices used in the explicit content.

With the rise of AI voice clones, voice actors are being abused by the modding community. As a member of the Skyrim modding scene, I am deeply concerned about the practice of using his AI voice clone to create and distribute non-consensual deepfake pornographic content. pic.twitter.com/ySUFqrtjH0

— Robbie (@Robbie92_) July 1, 2023

“I am a long-standing and concerned member of the Elder Scrolls game modding community,” Robbie wrote. “We believe that creating and distributing deepfake porn is unashamedly evil and that we as a community have a responsibility to act.”

Replies to Robbie’s original tweet were filled with some of the affected voice actors reacting to learning their voices were used in porn AI content without their consent. there is Many voice actors were shocked to learn about the problem for the first time, with voice actor Richard Epcar writing, “What the hell?!”

What the hell?

— Richard Epcar (@RichardEpcar) July 4, 2023

Robbie also shared that Google Docs It contains a list of names and links to various mods that use AI voice clones. Robbie wrote that the link is tagged as NSFW, so it can only be accessed with an active Nexus Mods account.

This list, though not exhaustive, has about 100 links to NSFW mods listed on Nexus Mods. At the time of this writing, many of the mods have already been hidden by their authors, displaying the message “Mod has (possible) permissions issues that are being addressed by the authors.” increase. However, many of the links are still fully accessible.

Digging deeper reveals a “possible permission issue”. Eleven Labs Terms of Usebecause whoever used the voice generator to create the NSFW Skyrim Mod violated part of the User Agreement.

“By uploading files to our service, you confirm that you are the owner of these files or that you have the necessary rights and permissions to use these files. .You can only upload files if you tick the checkbox confirming this.” I read partially. “For example, if you upload someone’s voice recording to our service, you confirm that you have permission from the owner of that voice to reproduce and synthesize that person’s voice. These Rights and Permissions You are solely responsible for ensuring that

IGN reached out to Eleven Labs for comment.

How Skyrim’s Deepfake Porn Mod Affects Voice Actors

Modders’ use of AI-generated real voice actor dialogue can have a significant impact on the career safety and mental health of actors. IGN interviewed two voice actors who worked on The Elder Scrolls Online about how deepfakes (especially those of an explicit nature) are affecting their colleagues. Neither of the voice actors we spoke with were specifically listed in the affected voice actor documentation, but they both provided valuable insight into what this situation means for the industry. I have.

Abby Weffer did the voice work for ESO’s recent Necrom expansion and has been very outspoken on social media regarding the Skyrim mod controversy. In an email to IGN, Veffer revealed his own stance on mods.

“I believe that the use of AI synthesis for non-consensual voice cloning and NSFW mods/deepfakes should be considered a violation,” Veffer wrote. “In my opinion, this should be treated akin to revenge porn, which plays with power dynamics and seeks a semblance of control at the expense of others – actors who claim to be fans.” It’s a serious problem rooted in the perpetrator.”

Veffer expressed frustration that people making mods do not consider it harmful and do not understand its implications. She was quick to point out that fans may not realize that creating content like this is costing real people, and that voice actors aren’t as wealthy or touchy as fans think. He pointed out that it is not something that cannot be done.

“Because of common misconceptions about actor salaries, many uneducated observers may think we all have expensive lawyers to save us in no time. They also believes that this kind of AI impersonation will not put our jobs at risk, but that is true. We are all on the same page and should be protected from AI abuse.”

IGN also spoke with ESO voice actor Kyle McCurry, who speaks out against the abuse of voice actors in AI-generated projects. “The ramifications of letting this technology go unchecked is frankly terrifying,” McQuarrie said in a statement to IGN, and went on to explain the harm to voice actors.

“If our fans are making memes in which our voices say things we don’t say, if the fakes are good enough to convince employers, then absolutely not in our job opportunities.” It can have a negative impact,” McCurry said. “We don’t own the rights to the characters we draw, but our employers do. We don’t want us to use those characters to say anything without their permission, just as we would like them to.” Our voices saying things like that… one troll can damage our public image and is nearly impossible to recover from, not only financially, but mentally and emotionally. ”

As for what can be done, McQuarrie and Weffer say the only true avenue to protect actors from AI deepfakes is legislation, and that independent actors won’t be able to stop it on their own in the long run. I agree with you that you won’t be able to.

McQuarrie also pointed out that it is still ongoing. Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood Studiosthe entertainment union seeks protections against employers who use AI technology without a permit or additional payment.

“This is why we desperately need legislation at the federal level to establish rules for oversight of companies developing this technology and how it can be used by both the private sector in question and the general public. We need to strongly enforce those rules.” Take disciplinary action against violators…At this point, all individual actors can do is contact the person using the model and politely ask them to stop. But it will obviously have different consequences. ”

Logan Plant is an IGN freelance writer.