Skyrim Voice Actors Condemn Unauthorized Use of Their Voices in AI Deepfake Mods

Online voice actors for Skyrim have expressed their words to using their voices in AI deepfakes for adult mods. Fans of the game and franchise can install and play as many mods as they want for Skyrim. These modifications have advanced in sophistication over the past few years and now incorporate deepfake and artificial intelligence. Voice actors from Skyrim and the larger Elder Scrolls franchise, particularly those that include explicit content, have come forward to protest the usage of their voices in these AI deepfake mods. According to a report by GamesRadar, the issue began when a Twitter user posted a list of the voice actors whose voices had been utilized for these mods without their knowledge.

“The post stated that someone nefariously repurposed their performances, fed them into AI cloning tools (“ElvenLabs”), and created deepfake voice clips of these performers reciting explicit dialogue that is pornographic in nature.”

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

— Robbie (@Robbie92_) July 1, 2023

Modders have been using ElvenLabs, an AI program introduced in 2022, to produce deepfake voice. lines. Nexus Mods, a well-known website where users can upload mods, allows the usage of AI tools. There is a DMCA form on the website that actors can use to report mods that utilize their work for inappropriate or other purposes, but the number of mods that use AI voices has been increasing exponentially.

Agner voice actors in deep fake AI mods for Skyrim

As more of the voice actors listed in the article notice it and respond, the thread has since acquired momentum. Ben Diskin, whose voice can be heard in Elder Scrolls Online, remarked, “If you find my voice in one of these circumstances, please let me know so that I can request that it be taken down.” “I do not consent to use my biometric information for such purposes.”

If you find my voice in one of these situations, please let me know so I can ask that it be taken down.

I do not consent to my biometric data being used for these purposes. https://t.co/IX4rOjhoUH

— Ben Diskin @bendiskin.bsky.social (@BenjaminDiskin) July 4, 2023

In response to the post, the National Association of Voice Actors tagged Bethesda and ZeniMax Online to stop the unauthorized use of their members’ voices. The NAVA stated, “The harm caused by AI and synthetic voices to voice actors and game companies is real and palpable.” Zane Schacht, a voice actor, also called AI voices “f***ing gross” and the unauthorized use of an actor’s voice, particularly for explicit content, “f***ing heinous.”