Synthetic Speech Artist Gets Credit in Sony AAA Game
Respeecher gets special mention in God of War Ragnarök
Respeecher has already won an Emmy for its work in television. However, synthetic speech as a special effect in entertainment products has not traditionally been called out for specific mention. When it has been highlighted, the credit has mentioned the company as opposed to an individual. That has changed.
Sony just released its God of War Ragnarök AAA game title. It includes an artistic credit for Respeecher and Synthetic Speech Artist Valerii Zablotskyi-Drohan. Alex Serdiuk, founder, and CEO of Respeecher, believes this is the first time a synthetic speech artist has been recognized for contributions to a game. It may be the first time it has happened in the broader entertainment industry.
AI and Art
Synthedia often covers AI and art in the form of text-to-image generation. Synthetic speech solutions are also frequent topics of articles but are not positioned as art. Serdiuk told Synthedia in an interview:
Creating a synthetic speech for very high-profile projects is often a craft, an art. It's not just running models but making them perform in the best way possible, meeting creative expectations, overcoming data limitations, and getting models ready for various performances. Valerii is a Synthetic Speech Artist from our Delivery team who was in charge of making a sound from Respeecher in this piece…This is an expertise we've been growing internally for years, and we want our Synthetic Speech Artists to be recognized as well, as they enhance the technology with their craft and hard work.
This decision by a leading game studio seems significant. It recognizes that synthetic speech technology is a tool and that getting the most out of it requires expertise and, in some cases, artistic skill. You might equate it to a camera operator in a film. The camera is an amazing piece of technology. However, the quality of its output is often a function of the operator more than the machine.
A similar case can be made for many products of text-to-image art generators. Some creators of generative AI art are truly practicing a craft. If you spend some time with text-to-image generators, you will quickly notice that some users have a much higher success rate with their creations. There is a skill to crafting a successful prompt. There is also skill in customizing a synthetic voice that expertly expresses the personality and emotions of a character. It’s nice to see Sony recognize that skill.
Congratulations to Valerii Zablotskyi-Drohan and the entire Respeecher team. The accolades are well-earned.
