'Don’t Be Too Proud of This Technological Terror' – How Fortnite’s Darth Vader Chatbot Teases Scary Future for AI in Games

Fortnite players can now chat with an AI Darth Vader, but is that cause for celebration in the galaxy far, far away? Is this a leap forward in technology or a Death Star of a monstrosity? While players might get some enjoyment out of it, this opens up legal and ethical questions.

SAG-AFTRA Files Charge Against Fortnite‘s Darth Vader

SAG-AFTRA, the guild that represents over 160,000 performers in the entertainment world, filed an unfair labor practice charge against the chatbot, saying it infringes on the rights of human actors, “including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games.” They also had this to say:

“Fortnite’s signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with AI technology. Unfortunately, they did so without any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms.”

Ethical Concerns

The appeal of chatting with the famous Sith Lord can’t be denied. James Earl Jones, the original voice of Darth Vader, gave permission for AI to recreate his voice before he died, and an AI Darth Vader voice was used in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series. However, does permission from the original actor justify replacing human actors with AI? The AI Vader was also using profanity and slurs before a patch was implemented. In addition to voice actors, dialogue writers are also in danger of finding their jobs replaced with AI.

What Does This Mean for the Future?

Video games are the result of human labor. People work for days, weeks, months, and years to create something that didn’t exist before. While technology is welcome to help make the work easier, it’s a different principle when we hand creativity over to AI. As generative AI evolves, writers and voice actors may find themselves out of work. In addition to the ethical questions, we must consider how true art comes from the soul. Chatting with Darth Vader in Fortnite may be a fun toy, but it takes human creativity out of the equation. In the words of Vader himself, “Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve constructed.”