The Voice of The Witcher's Geralt Says He'd Sue Every Single AI Platform With His Voice on It 'Into the Ground' if He Could

Doug Cockle, the voice behind The Witcher’s Geralt, has expressed his outrage towards AI platforms that utilize his voice. Speaking to Polygon, Cockle dubbed AI-generated voice replications of his as "the bugbear of my life." He expressed concern over the technology being used to make Geralt say inappropriate things, which could mislead people into believing that Cockle had actually provided the voice.

Cockle stated, "If I had the power, the money, and the influence, I would sue every single AI platform out there with my voice on it. I would sue them into the ground." He emphasized that these AI platforms could make Geralt say horrible things, become racist, misogynist, or have political views that are horrifying. Cockle has been a vocal critic of generative AI, expressing worries about people using it for nefarious purposes in 2023.

He noted that while AI is inevitable and developers will use it, there is already misuse of AI-generated voices, including background voices, NPC voices, and others. Cockle has previously declined an AI company's request to upload his Geralt voice to their database, citing concerns about voice actors' voices being "ripped off" and the impact on their income.