Epic Games released an AI-powered Darth Vader character that players can speak to via microphone.
Fortnite and Disney teamed up to unveil an AI character that responds to a player's voice in real time. According to Fortnite, AI Vader can react to players by answering questions and providing strategies.
The tech uses Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash model to generate Vader's responses, according to Epic Games.
The voice of James Earl Jones, the late actor who voiced Vader, was generated using ElevenLabs' Flash v2.5 model.
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The family of Jones said in a statement to Epic, "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."
The game's site states that audio and transcriptions from players are not stored and are solely used to prompt Darth Vader's responses. Epic also says it does not use the players' interactions to train AI models.
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Players quickly found ways to get Vader to respond with profanity by having him repeat offensive language used by them.
Australian streamer and gamer Kathleen Belsten, who goes by the handle "Loserfruit," shared a video online of her managing to prompt the AI Darth Vader to say "f---" during in-game dialogue.
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Another X user with the handle @GasSpares was able to get the AI character to repeat a slur.
Fortnite offers a feature that allows players to report such events, according to the site's FAQ. The company said it immediately issued a "hot fix" that will prevent players from making the character use profanity or slurs.
The site also states that "Players under 13 or their country's age of digital consent, whichever is higher, will need permission to talk with Darth Vader. These players will see an in-game prompt to get parental permission."
