Troy Baker thinks AI will push players toward “authentic” art — and he’s not wrong

Why Troy Baker’s Take on AI Actually Matters to Gamers

This isn’t another hot-take from someone who only reads headlines: Troy Baker – the prolific voice actor best known for Joel in The Last of Us and a long list of major game roles – told The Game Business that he sees the generative AI revolution as a “good thing” because it will push people back toward authentic, human-made art.

• AI can replicate and crank out content, but Baker argues it can’t create art.
• He expects a consumer backlash against AI “gruel” that benefits live, human-driven experiences.
• This stance sits inside a larger industry fight: SAG-AFTRA, strikes, and controversial AI uses in games.

Key Takeaways

• AI will make cheap, passable content widely available – but that may highlight the value of authentic human performances.
• Baker recognizes the business threat but predicts long-term upside for artists who can offer genuine experience.
• Gamers should expect continued experimentation with AI in game development, alongside stronger calls for consent and union protections.

What Baker Actually Said — Cut Through the PR

Baker’s quote is blunt and useful: “AI can create content but it cannot create art,” because art “invariably requires the human experience.” He admitted AI’s technical prowess — “AI can make content way better than humans” — but argued that the endgame for consumers will be a taste for the authentic. He even used a punchy metaphor, warning of “gruel that gets distilled to me through a black mirror” versus seeing an artist perform live or reading a human-crafted book.

This caught my attention because Baker’s not just any celebrity calling out tech; he’s inside the industry now grappling with the fallout. He’s a SAG-AFTRA member, the union that led last year’s strike centered on actor protections around AI use in games. When someone with his resume — credited with major character work and recent praise for playing Indiana Jones in MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle — talks about art versus content, gamers should listen.

Why This Matters Now

The timing is everything. AI tools have matured fast, and some studios are already using them for NPC dialogue and procedural assets. Embark Studios, for example, has used AI to generate NPC voices. High-profile actors like Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have signed AI-usage deals, while the posthumous AI recreation of James Earl Jones’ Darth Vader voice in Fortnite showed how messy this can get when players weaponize a synthetic voice into abusive output.

So we’re at the crossroad: studios want cheaper, faster tools; actors and unions want consent, credit, and compensation. Gamers will be deciding too, whether they accept AI-synthesized performances inside their games or start demanding a human seal-of-authenticity.

What This Means for Gamers and Creators

Practically, expect more AI-driven experiments in games — cheap NPC lines, rapid dialogue prototyping, even whole filler campaigns built from synthesized assets. That’s the “content” Baker admits AI will crank out. But also expect a market split: premium experiences that advertise “performed by” or “recorded live” could carry new weight and command attention (and price). For actors, the fight will be legal and contractual: clear consent frameworks and residuals for voice likeness are now non-negotiable.

And for publishers: slapping an “AI-assisted” tag on a title might become a selling point for transparency — or a red flag for consumers who want their performances to be real people, not lab-generated soundalikes.

TL;DR — The Short, Unpleasant Truth

Troy Baker is right to push the conversation beyond “can AI do it?” to “should we value it?” AI will flood the market with competent content, but scarcity and desire for authentic human expression could make genuinely human-made performances more precious. For gamers, that means paying attention to who made your game and how — and for actors, it means keeping pressure on studios and unions to make sure human work remains respected and protected.