Jennifer English, an actor who has quickly become one of the video game industry's most talked about after her standout performances as Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3, Latenna in Elden Ring, and most recently, as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, was asked her opinion on the use of generative AI in game development at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards.
As a voice actor, the use of Generative AI in games is a topic that we know can, and has, directly affected her line of work. Wherever you fall regarding Embark Studios using generative AI voices in The Finals and ARC Raiders, the reality is that the voice lines supplied by the AI in those games took a job away from an actor who could have used the work.
So it's not surprising that, when Golden Joystick Awards host Gamesradar asked English her thoughts on using generative AI in video game development, her answer was a very simple, "Don't."
"Don't. Just don't," English begins. "Use your beautiful, creative human brains. I get it, AI is a tool, but not to replace creativity. Mistakes are beautiful, mistakes are wonderful, flaws are wonderful. Keep them in, keep it human. Be cool, guys, don't be weird."
Following this interaction on the red carpet, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would go on to sweep the Golden Joystick Awards, winning in every category it was nominated in, and English would win the award for 'Best Lead Performance' for Maelle. It was the only game that night to win more than two awards and took home the show's biggest prize, Ultimate Game of the Year.
Going into The Game Awards next month, Clair Obscur made history by earning 12 nominations, the most any game has gotten in a single year. English is also nominated for Best Performance and is going up against two of her Clair Obscur co-stars for the award. With three out of six nominations all going to Clair Obscur actors, the cards are really stacked in the game's favor in that category.
And while English can stand strong in her stance about generative AI, much to her chagrin, the reality is that there are developers using the technology at multiple steps in the process of making a game, whether it's intended for the final version or not. Even Sandfall Interactive was seemingly caught having used generative AI for small assets within Clair Obscur. Officially, the studio has not spoken about it, and the assets that players alleged were made by generative AI were swapped out with ones that do not appear to have been made with generative AI.
And then, on the other side of it (or you could say, the Jennifer English side), there are studios like Epictellers Entertainment, who told Wccftech, "There is no point in using AI for any creative endeavor."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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