The finals were criticized for using “terrible” AI announcers.

Voice actor Gianni Matragrano called for the use of AI voices in the finals in what is now known as Viral Twitter topic. He criticized Embark Studios for their decision to use AI voices, a topic they discussed on the podcast Meet the makers.

When a developer from Embark was asked who did the voiceovers, he replied, “That’s the point. What did the voiceovers do?”

They continued by explaining: “We have used artificial intelligence with some exceptions. So, all of the contestants’ and voiceovers’ voices are text-to-speech by AI. For things we call sounds like the player breathing, jumping, there’s something we used in the studio to record… like just snoring. We can’t really get AI to perform this type of task yet.

Although not questioning their decision on the podcast, Embark went on to justify their decision by highlighting the power and efficiency of text-to-speech using AI, saying: “It gets us far enough in terms of quality and allows us to be very reactive to new ideas.” And keep things really fresh.

However, Matragrano responded to this argument, writing: “We’re constantly doing speed dial sessions like this, within a day or two. You can literally get a professional VO for less than the grand total, do a few recording sessions, and you’ll have all the audio you need.” .

The use of artificial intelligence in the finals has raised concerns beyond the quality of voiceovers. Commenters pointed out the possibility of voice actors losing their jobs, writing: “AI in voice acting is extremely harmful to the in-game acting industry. Especially if it becomes normalized and developers decide to use AI voices instead of hiring actual actors. Just hiring actual actors. They can actually do stuff.” Very quickly and with much better results.”

Another user expressed frustration, saying: “This is bullshit. I know a lot of people are hesitant about AI and this is the saving grace, but we are literally seeing what people feared would happen at the speed of light. To cut corners, to rush, and not have to pay real humans , they prefer to use artificial intelligence so that they can integrate it together and continue to make money.

However, it seems that not everyone is against the use of AI in the finals. Some players appreciate the dynamic nature of broadcasterssaying: “In the Finals, the announcers are dynamic, and it would be really hard to create the same experience if you had to record every random team name or things they do.”

Another user stated: “This is not a story-driven game, where things like voice acting are crucial. This is a game where the voice acting is fluff, something like background noise. It’s not important.”

Despite the backlash, Embark Studios appears to be committed to its AI approach, focusing on massive improvements in quality. “It’s unbelievable. What a good time to be alive.”