This story is a bit old now, but I couldn’t resist covering it given how insanely “2023” it is. AI has calmed down in the news now that people have realized it’s still not ready to replace every job ever… yet. That doesn’t mean the community isn’t hard at work still using ChatGPT and the like to push the limits though. AI has been increasingly prevalent in gaming especially in the modding department. Mods using AI power have helped to generate new content and dialogue for the legendary old title of Skyrim. However, things took a turn last week when lewd mods using AI-generated voice clips in sexual settings took the spotlight and the official voice actors and actresses of Skyrim took notice.
Claiming that modders are abusing their voices without credit, pay, or consent, many have asked for the developers to take down their explicit projects involving AI voices. I have to say I completely understand where they’re coming from. I wouldn’t want some dude out there to be able to modulate me saying “omg yes furry daddy, give me that pale white werewolf semen on this full moon”. I just want to be a normal werewolf in Skyrim man. While I also have a deep appreciation for modders keeping games alive, it’s not like they really own the rights to any of the content they work with. Outside of rare exceptions, modders are working purely on the basis of consent, and without it from the true asset rights holders, can quickly see themselves receiving a cease and desist letter. I don’t feel too bad though. There’s plenty of people in the NSFW voice community who could produce some sexy Skyrim lines for an explicit vampire housewife mod or something. So far the Nexus Mods site posted their official stance of “AI-generated mod content is not against our rules”. However they also stated they may remove a mod if they receive “a credible complaint from a party who feels [a mod] is damaging to them," including a voice actor or asset owner. Essentially they seem to be looking for a middle ground which has of course been met with disapproval from both sides.
Hmm, odd. I don't remember this companion being in the game. Must of missed the quest.
From what I saw the main thing this controversy accomplished was reigniting the debate of how much can be legally and morally done with AI-generated voices. I feel for modders trying to create something cool with extremely limited resources, but I also understand people not wanting to have their voices cloned and used for literally anything the cloner wants them to say. If it were me in the hot seat, I’d definitely see the issue and take my mods down… and then involve myself deeply in the lewd VA community. Did you hear about this debate? Have you played Skyrim or its mods? Where do you stand on using AI to make lewd voice content? Put on a warrior helmet, dual wield swords, and slay this dragon of a debate in the comments below!
