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“One of those ways where you can use AI ethically”: CDPR have modified Geralt’s Polish voice in The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past with genAI, due to actor’s stroke
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
CD Projekt Red has confirmed plans to use generative AI to adjust Jacek Rozenek’s newly recorded Polish lines as Geralt in the upcoming The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past expansion. The studio says the change, made with Rozenek’s consent, will make his voice sound closer to recordings from before a 2019 stroke; it has chosen to keep him in the role rather than recast him.
Rozenek returned to record some lines for the 2022 update, but the work reportedly left him exhausted, and his voice has since become lower and gruffer. He said he trusted the game’s creators and wanted the new voice to resemble his voice from 12 years ago. CD Projekt describes the AI use as a special case: Doug Cockle’s English lines will not be altered, nor will Rozenek’s lines in future Witcher games. The decision renews debate over consent, actors’ work and when voice synthesis is appropriate.
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In short
- CD Projekt will use AI to adjust Rozenek’s Polish Geralt lines.
- Rozenek reportedly consented, seeking a closer match to his earlier voice.
- The studio says this is a special case for the expansion.
How this story developed
- 10 minutes ago CD Projekt Red will use Respeecher’s generative AI to alter Jacek Rozenek’s newly recorded Polish lines as Geralt in The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past.
- 15 minutes ago CD Projekt Red has confirmed plans to use generative AI to adjust Jacek Rozenek’s newly recorded Polish lines as Geralt in the upcoming The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past expansion.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
With Rozenek’s informed consent and involvement, adjusting his newly recorded lines could help preserve his role and bring continuity to a character whose voice is closely associated with the performance. It may also spare him the strain of trying to reproduce an earlier sound through further recording, while respecting his stated wish for the result to resemble his voice from before his stroke.
The case against
Even with consent, altering an actor’s voice raises questions about how much control performers retain over the use and shaping of their work, and whether this could set expectations for voice synthesis in other cases. Some may also argue that the changed voice is part of Rozenek’s present performance and experience, and that preserving the earlier sound risks treating that as something to correct rather than accepting a recast or a different portrayal.
Explained simply
The Witcher 3 is a role-playing game by Polish studio CD Projekt Red, and Geralt is its main character. Jacek Rozenek has voiced Geralt in the Polish version, while Doug Cockle voices him in English.
Rozenek had a stroke in 2019, which affected his voice. He later returned to record some game dialogue, but the work was tiring, and his voice now sounds different from earlier recordings. The studio chose to keep him in the role.
Voice synthesis uses recordings and AI tools to create or alter speech. Its use in games raises questions about how actors give consent, how their performances are used, and when this technology is appropriate.
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