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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Ashly Burch, the voice and performance actor behind Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, objected after footage showed an internal Sony prototype that let an AI version of Aloy answer spoken questions. Guerrilla Games told Burch that the demonstration was not an active project and used none of her voice, facial or other performance data.
Who voices Aloy in the Horizon games?
Ashly Burch provides Aloy’s voice and performance in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. Her work includes the character’s dialogue, emotional delivery and performance capture that helps define Aloy’s on-screen presence.
Burch’s reaction was therefore not simply a response from an actor whose job might be automated. She described concern for game performance as an art form and for the next generation of performers.
What did Sony’s AI Aloy prototype do?
The Verge reported on March 10, 2025, that Sony’s Advanced Technology Group had demonstrated an internal prototype based on Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West. A user could ask questions aloud, after which the system generated a response, synthesized speech and animated Aloy’s face.
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- Experience the epic Horizon Forbidden West in its entirety, including bonus content and the Burning Shores expansion:
- Brave an expansive open world – discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier – explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers – engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries – uncover the secret behind Earth’s imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past… one that will change Aloy forever.
The reported technology stack included OpenAI Whisper for speech-to-text, GPT-4 and Llama 3 for conversation and decision-making, Sony’s Emotional Voice Synthesis for speech, and Mockingbird for turning audio into facial animation. Sony engineer Sharwin Raghoebardajal described the demonstration as “just a glimpse of what is possible.”
That footage was a technology demonstration, not an announced game mode or confirmed commercial product. No release date, feature announcement or commitment to add conversational Aloy to a Horizon game was reported.
Did Sony clone Ashly Burch’s voice or face?
There is no evidence in the reported incident that Burch’s performance was cloned. In a video posted around March 16–17, 2025, Burch said Guerrilla Games contacted her and told her the demo “didn’t reflect anything that was actively in development.” She also said: “They didn’t use any of my performance for the demo, so none of my facial or voice data.”
Rank #2
- An epic Action/RPG Adventure:
- Brave an expansive open world - discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier - explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers - engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries - uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past. one that will change Aloy forever.
That statement answers the actor-specific question: the information given to Burch was that her voice, facial data and other performance data were not used for this demonstration. It does not establish what data sources Sony used instead, nor does it rule out the possibility of similar technologies being developed in the future.
Why did Burch find the AI Aloy demonstration disturbing?
Burch’s objection was about control over performers’ identities and work, not a claim that this particular prototype had replaced her. She said, “The technology isn’t the problem. The problem is we’re currently on strike, and the bargaining group will not agree to give us common sense protections.”
Her video came during SAG-AFTRA’s interactive-media strike, whose dispute includes safeguards for performers whose voices, faces or performances could be reproduced or manipulated with artificial intelligence.
Rank #3
- EARTH IS OURS NO MORE
- Experience the critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn with stunning new visuals and upgraded features
- In a far future where colossal machines roam and rule the Earth, pockets of humanity survive in unique tribes amon the lush, overgrown ruins of our long-lost civilization
- Take up bow and spear as Aloy, a youn machine hunter and outcast of her tribe, as she discovers her origins, the truth of this mysterious world, and her own destiny to save it from impending doom.
- On her journey, Aloy will come across unique tribes, lively settlements, and compelling characters and companions.
Burch summarized the protections she wants this way: “What we’re fighting for is that you have to get our consent before you make an AI version of us in any form. You have to compensate us fairly and you have to tell us how you’re using this AI double.” She also warned that without enforceable protections, “that person would have no recourse.”
Human Aloy and the prototype: what is actually different?
| Issue | Burch’s performance in the games | AI Aloy prototype reported by The Verge |
|---|---|---|
| Authorship and consent | A human actor delivers and performs Aloy’s scripted material within the game’s production process. | The system generated replies to spoken questions; the reported demonstration does not establish actor consent for an AI likeness. |
| Use of Burch’s data | Burch is the credited voice and performance actor. | Guerrilla told Burch that none of her voice, facial or other performance data was used. |
| Speech and face | Performance, direction and recorded dialogue shape Aloy’s expression and timing. | Whisper handled speech recognition, a language model generated the response, Emotional Voice Synthesis produced speech, and Mockingbird drove facial animation. |
| Disclosure and payment | The conventional performance is created under an actor’s production and credit arrangements. | No public terms for performer disclosure, compensation or licensing were announced for the internal demo. |
| Narrative control | Game writers, directors and actors create authored scenes and dialogue. | The prototype was designed for generated conversational replies; the available reporting does not establish how it would be controlled in a finished story. |
| Recourse | Contractual and collective-bargaining arrangements provide the relevant framework. | Burch’s concern is that performers need explicit rights and a remedy if an AI version is made or used without permission. |
Is the AI Aloy demo coming to Horizon?
Not on the evidence currently available. The reported demonstration was internal, and Guerrilla told Burch it was not an active development project. Sony’s engineer presented it as an indication of technical possibility, not a product announcement.
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That leaves the future open but uncertain. A prototype can show that a system works without deciding whether it belongs in a released game, whether it fits the story, or what rights performers would receive.
Rank #4
- An epic Action/RPG Adventure:
- Brave an expansive open world - discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier - explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers - engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries - uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past. one that will change Aloy forever.
What protections are video-game actors seeking?
Burch’s comments identify four practical requirements for an AI version of a performer:
- Consent: an actor should agree before a voice, face or performance likeness is reproduced in any form.
- Fair compensation: payment should reflect the use and value of the AI likeness rather than treating it as unrestricted production material.
- Disclosure: performers should be told how their AI double, recordings and related data will be used.
- Recourse: an actor should have a contractual or legal remedy if those terms are breached.
These demands concern all game performers, including actors whose characters are not as prominent as Aloy. Burch said she wants the industry to keep producing new and distinctive performances, not eliminate the people who create them.
Why this incident matters beyond Aloy
The episode illustrates the distinction between an AI character experiment and an unauthorized digital replica of a specific actor. A company may be able to synthesize dialogue and animate a familiar character without using the original performer’s files, yet the same tools could raise much more serious questions when trained on or designed to imitate an identifiable person.
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- An epic Action/RPG Adventure:
- Brave an expansive open world - discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier - explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers - engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries - uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past. one that will change Aloy forever.
The Verge also cited a separate 2024 Game Developers Conference survey of 3,000 respondents: 49 percent said generative-AI tools were used in their workplace and 31 percent said they personally used them. Those figures describe wider game-industry adoption, not the Aloy prototype or the use of Burch’s data.
For now, the clearest facts are limited: Burch remains Aloy’s human voice and performance actor in the released games; Sony demonstrated an internal conversational-Aloy experiment; and Guerrilla told her that her performance data was not used. The unresolved issue is whether future systems will be deployed with the consent, payment, transparency and remedies performers are demanding.
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