2 min read
Epic Games’ recent addition of an Google AI-powered Darth Vader to Fortnite has ignited controversy. After the addition, players swiftly manipulated the character into using swear words and offensive language.
The AI, powered by Google’s Gemini 2.0 and designed to mimic the late James Earl Jones’ iconic voice, was intended to enhance player interaction within the game. However, within hours of its release, clips surfaced online showing the AI Darth Vader responding to player prompts with inappropriate remarks, including the use of slurs and internet memes.
One notable incident involved streamer Loserfruit, who managed to prompt the AI into uttering an expletive during a live session. In another case, players tricked the AI into using a homophobic slur by exploiting language ambiguities.
Epic Games responded to the backlash by implementing immediate hotfixes that were designed to strengthen the AI’s safeguards. The company also implemented parental controls to limit AI interactions for younger players and programmed the AI Darth Vader to disengage from players who attempt to provoke inappropriate responses. The situation underscores the ongoing challenges that developers encounter in moderating AI behavior in dynamic, user-driven contexts, despite these efforts.
With James Earl Jones’ estate approved, the cooperation was first hailed as a technological breakthrough in gaming. However, recent events have shown the fast exploitation of the weaknesses in the artificial intelligence models, raising ethical usage questions. Game developers will have to be cautious while including artificial intelligence characters into interactive media with strong safety measures.
Fortnite is a popular interactive world-building game escape, that spanned massively in popularity over the last decade. Multiple independent surveys show that more than 60% of kids between ages 8 and 12 have played Fortnite at least once.
