“AI Can Create Content, but Not Art”: Troy Baker Explains Why the AI Revolution Is a Good Thing
Artis Kenderik
Renowned voice actor Troy Baker has said he considers the generative AI revolution a “good thing,” as it will push people to seek out authentic works created by artists, rather than what he calls AI-generated “slop.”
In an interview with The Game Business, Baker acknowledged that AI can undoubtedly “create content better than humans” and “mass-produce it effortlessly.” However, he stressed a crucial distinction:
AI can create content, but it can’t create art. The reason is that art inevitably requires human experience. There’s a fundamental principle of art-making that people seem to be forgetting right now — it requires artists. People say, “Look at what AI can do.” And I respond, “Yeah, okay. I see what it can do. But it doesn’t matter.” And we don’t need to diminish it, vilify it, or demonize it. We just need to accept it: “Okay, it exists.”
Baker noted that from a business perspective, AI does pose a threat, but in the long run it may actually benefit artists. In his view, the rise of AI will drive audiences toward authenticity — people will want to attend live performances, go to the theater, read books, and seek firsthand experiences, rather than consume “slop filtered through a black mirror.”
The use of AI in the games industry has become a highly contentious topic. The SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike that ended last year was directly tied to protections against AI. Despite player backlash, some developers continue to integrate the technology — for example, Embark Studios uses AI to generate NPC voices in Arc Raiders. More recently, Larian Studios also found itself at the center of controversy, as did the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — to the point where the latter even had their Game of the Year awards revoked.
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