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Ashly Burch, the voice and performance actor behind Aloy, objected to an internal Sony demonstration of an AI-controlled version of the Horizon protagonist. Her concern was not simply that the technology exists, but that performers could be digitally reproduced without consent, payment, disclosure or a way to challenge the use.
What happened with AI Aloy?
- March 10, 2025: The Verge reported footage of a Sony PlayStation Advanced Technology Group prototype based on Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West.
- The demonstration let a person ask Aloy questions aloud. The system converted speech to text, generated a response and delivered it with synthesized speech and facial animation.
- March 16–17, 2025: Burch discussed the demonstration in a TikTok/Instagram video. She said Guerrilla Games had contacted her about it and told her the demo did not reflect anything actively in development.
Sony engineer Sharwin Raghoebardajal described the presentation as an internal technology demonstration and said it was “just a glimpse of what is possible,” not a confirmed game feature.
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Who voices Aloy?
Ashly Burch is Aloy’s voice and performance actor in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. Her work encompasses the character’s recorded dialogue and the performance used to shape Aloy’s on-screen presence, rather than voice-only narration.
How the Sony prototype worked
The reported demo combined several systems. The reports identify the following components:
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- Experience the epic Horizon Forbidden West in its entirety, including bonus content and the Burning Shores expansion:
- Brave an expansive open world – discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier – explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers – engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries – uncover the secret behind Earth’s imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past… one that will change Aloy forever.
| Component | Function in the demonstration |
|---|---|
| OpenAI Whisper | Converted the player’s spoken question into text. |
| GPT-4 and Llama 3 | Handled conversation and decision-making. |
| Sony Emotional Voice Synthesis (EVS) | Produced the spoken response in a synthesized Aloy-like voice. |
| Mockingbird | Animated the character’s face to match the generated audio. |
This was a technology demonstration, not evidence that a conversational AI character had been added to a released Horizon game.
Did Sony clone Ashly Burch’s voice or use her performance data?
According to Burch’s account of what Guerrilla told her, the demo did not use her voice, facial data or other performance data. The available reporting does not establish that Sony cloned her voice, scanned her face or trained the prototype on her recordings.
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- An epic Action/RPG Adventure:
- Brave an expansive open world - discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier - explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers - engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries - uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past. one that will change Aloy forever.
That distinction explains why Burch’s objection is broader than a claim that her own likeness was copied: she is asking for rules that would apply before any performer’s voice, face or motion is turned into an AI substitute.
Why Ashly Burch objected
Burch said, “The technology isn’t the problem. The problem is we’re currently on strike, and the bargaining group will not agree to give us common sense protections.” She identified four protections she wants for game performers:
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- An epic Action/RPG Adventure:
- Brave an expansive open world - discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- A majestic frontier - explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Confront new dangers - engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel startling mysteries - uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past. one that will change Aloy forever.
- Consent: an actor should approve creation of an AI version of them “in any form.”
- Compensation: performers should be paid fairly when their identity or work contributes to an AI double.
- Disclosure: the performer should be told how the AI version will be used.
- Recourse: a performer needs a contractual or legal route to object or seek a remedy.
She also framed the issue as a question about authorship. “I feel worried about this art form — game performance as an art form,” she said, while emphasizing that she wants future actors and future game performances to exist.
Human Aloy and the AI prototype: what is established
| Question | Burch’s recorded performance | Sony prototype |
|---|---|---|
| Who supplies the performance? | A credited human actor, Ashly Burch. | An AI system generated dialogue, speech and facial animation; no replacement performer was announced. |
| Was Burch’s data used? | Her performances are the established source of Aloy in the released games. | Guerrilla reportedly told Burch that her voice, facial and other performance data were not used. |
| Who controls the character’s words? | Dialogue and direction are created through the game’s human-led production. | The demonstration used GPT-4 and Llama 3 for responses and decision-making; its production authorship beyond those tools was not detailed. |
| Was quality compared? | Burch’s work appears in the released Horizon games. | No published test in the reports establishes that the prototype matched or replaced her performance. |
| Is there a performer agreement for this use? | Her concern is that performers need explicit protections. | No commercial performer arrangement for the demo was announced. |
Is the AI Aloy demo coming to a Horizon game?
There is no announcement that the prototype will ship in Horizon, become a feature of Horizon Forbidden West or replace Burch. The Verge’s reporting described it as an internal demonstration, and Burch said Guerrilla told her it was not an active project. Sony’s engineer presented it as an example of what the technology could enable, which is different from confirming a product or release date.
Rank #4
- A Majestic Frontier - Explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.
- Brave An Expansive Open World - Discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.
- Confront New Dangers - Engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.
- Unravel Startling Mysteries - Uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past... one that will change Aloy forever.
How the SAG-AFTRA strike fits in
The dispute occurred during SAG-AFTRA’s interactive-media strike, in which performers were seeking safeguards for generative AI. The Aloy demonstration became a visible example of the policy question: whether a company can make a digital performer that sounds or looks like an actor, what permission is required, how payment is calculated and what happens if the actor objects later.
Burch’s comments therefore addressed the bargaining fight affecting game performers generally, not a claim that Sony had secretly deployed her personal data in a finished game.
Quick Recap
What players can conclude
- Ashly Burch remains the human Aloy performer associated with Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.
- The reported AI Aloy was an internal Sony prototype capable of spoken, generated replies with synthetic voice and facial animation.
- Guerrilla’s message to Burch, as she relayed it, was that the demo was not an active project and did not use her performance data.
- The unresolved issue is the policy around consent, pay, transparency and remedies when similar systems are developed or deployed.
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