French Voice Actors for Apex Legends Battle Against AI

The recent buzz in the gaming world centers around the French voiceover team for Apex Legends, who have reportedly pushed back against a contract clause designed to harness their voices for AI training purposes.

Pascale Chemin, the voice actress for Wraith in the French version of the game, took to Twitter with some strong words. She revealed that a publisher—most likely Electronic Arts—tried to include a clause in their contract that would use their vocal performances to train AI systems. Though Chemin didn’t specify which game or publisher was involved, all signs seem to point towards Apex Legends and EA.

In support of this stand, 31 other voice actors involved with the project also declined to sign this agreement, making their stance clear by collectively penning a letter of refusal to the publisher.

In her translated tweet, Chemin emphasized a pressing need for solidarity: “If we don’t unite now to ensure a protective clause for our voices is added to our contracts—not just for us, but for all video game voice studios—we face an impending crisis.”

Chemin admits the timing seems counterintuitive. “Today’s job market is challenging; many of us have little to no work, and financially, times are hard. Sure, a paycheck would be nice,” she remarked candidly. “But what’s being asked of us goes beyond just working. They’re asking us to give away our skills to develop the AI that could replace us. It’s as if they’re asking us to undermine our own profession, to aid something we’re actively against. It’s tantamount to shooting ourselves in the foot and supporting the rise of AI in our field.”