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We have seen generative AI being a focus for a lot of internet-facing companies, such as OpenAI, Google, and even Meta, but so far, only the surface has been scratched when it comes to the implementation of AI for an entertainment-based product like a video game. Now, CD Projekt Red, the developer behind Cyberpunk 2077, has reportedly used AI to create the voice of a deceased cast member for the game.

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the voice of the late voice actor, Miłogost Reczek, the Polish voice actor who passed away in 2021 and voiced the character Viktor Vektor, was created using AI for Cyberpunk 2077’s expansion, Phantom Liberty.

The publisher notes that they obtained consent from the actor’s family before proceeding with creating his voice using AI. They also considered replacing Reczek’s voice acting in the original game and in the Phantom Liberty expansion with a new actor but eventually decided against it, as per a Bloomberg report.

Bloomberg further added that CD Projekt Red enlisted the help of a Ukraine-based voice-cloning tech called Respeecher after they hired a new voice actor to record Viktor Vektor’s lines for the Phantom Liberty expansion. “This way, we could keep his performance in the game and pay tribute to his wonderful performance as Viktor Vektor,” CD Projekt Red’s localization director, Mikołaj Szwed, said.

The use of generative AI in the entertainment industry is becoming increasingly commonplace and that popular franchises, such as Star Wars, have recently used AI to replace deceased artists like Carrie Fisher.