New audiences are discovering George Lucas’ Star Wars villain, Darth Vader, thanks to a new artificial-intelligence version of the character in the game Fortnite. Reflecting the worst elements of Zoomer humor, Darth Vader is now spewing racial stereotypes, obnoxious gibberish, and insults at the player base. The roll-out of chatbot-like characters was inevitable as the gaming industry seeks new gimmicks and monetizing opportunities to keep their products fresh (and profitable). Forget about kids being corrupted by vulgar entertainment. We should be worried about kids being a bad influence on the media.
If you have no clue what V-Bucks or “Skibidi toilet” are, we’re envious. In any case, we’ll try our best to break down this fiasco. Fortnite is a major pillar of the Generation Z-Alpha zeitgeist, even featuring in-game concerts, catering to all tastes, a repository of pop culture. The marketing potential is simply too tantalizing for agents. In fact, chances are, if you are under 20, this game is likely where you know many iconic characters from, not old films like Star Wars. That doesn’t bode well for flesh and blood actors, who are reduced to meme status. The grim truth is, it’s already too late to cram the fake genie back into the AI bottle.
Is ‘Fortnite’ the Harbinger of “Brainrot” To Come?
As a quick refresher, Fortnite is one of the largest media brands in existence. You know you’ve made it as a celebrity when a six-year-old begs their mother for money to buy your character in order to play as you in the game. John Wick, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ice Spice, Snoop Dogg, and Peter Griffin are squaring off in combat in the brightly-colored arena. Running with Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash AI software, Epic just unveiled Darth Vader as a teammate, using James Earl Jones’ voice. “Strategize with the ultimate Sith Lord,” the Epic Games press release boasts, including this message from his estate:
James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it. We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.
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“Enjoyment” was certainly had, though probably not by the kid who was told they were adopted in-game. In no time, the caped character was cracking racist jokes, making sexual references, swearing at kids, accusing players of cheating, and threatening bodily harm in real life, Forbes‘ Paul Tassi noted. Epic scrambled to countermand the program’s tendencies. A day, that’s roughly how long it took Vader to broach the topic of foot fetishes. One player, Chegg Gregg, failed to get Vader to comment on fentanyl, yet did manage to get him to trash Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker before the encounter spiraled into an argument concerning Vader’s finances. Prompting Darth Vader to assert, “I am not broke!” That’s the stuff we can print.
A Short History of Rogue Artificial Intelligence
Though there is the option to mute or report Vader, Epic’s highly-touted content reveal was still spoiled in record time. The AI functioned exactly as designed, removing the need for real actors like Jones, with voices produced on the fly without human input or oversight. That’s the problem. Epic quickly issued a statement that they had fixed the degenerate AI with a patch, realizing that they were fools to trust their own fans’ better judgment.
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It’s a film by AI, about AI.
Unfortunately, as soon as AI creators release their program into an environment without guardrails, much like a young child’s first day at school, the AI is free to absorb, regurgitate, and extrapolate upon whatever vile nonsense it is immersed in. In 2016, Microsoft’s AI chatbot project named Tay devolved into a Nazi after being exposed to trolls attempting to get the AI to spout racial epithets and bizarre political statements. Based on the Darth Vader debacle, the current AI tech doesn’t seem to have changed much. Neither has the internet.
Labor Unions Attempt To Ban AI to No Avail
This should serve as a warning to anyone wanting to sell their name/image/likeness/voice rights. Your legacy will become a joke. Right on cue, SAG-AFTRA swooped in as the controversy unfolded, already armed with their own ax to grind. The actors’ union condemned Llama Productions (owned by parent company Epic) for using Jones’ voice. Legally, their complaints hold no water, their spokespeople admitting that the Jones estate had granted Epic exclusive rights. SAG used the opportunity to highlight that AI is bad for real human beings. That’s purely business.
SAG’s grandstanding is less about Darth Vader traumatizing children than about proactively protecting the jobs of everyone who does voiceover work. Estates of dead celebrities, like Peter Cushing’s, posthumously steal gigs from the living to take advantage of the nostalgia gold rush. Time will tell if they succeed. As for the whole learning-chatbot concept, it will likely not improve much as long as it is shaped by bored, edgy teens. But don’t think for a second that any studio or media platform will give up on AI, especially if they can save money on sky-high movie/TV/game production budgets.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
