Faux pas! French voice actor sues game studio over AI voice cloning in Tomb Raider

French video game developer Aspyr used AI to clone voice actor Françoise Cadol’s distinctive performance as Lara Croft without her permission in an August update to “Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered.” The incident has ignited widespread concern among voice actors and gaming fans about unauthorized AI voice cloning, highlighting broader workplace automation threats as the technology becomes more accessible and difficult to regulate.

What happened: Gamers immediately detected that something was wrong with Lara Croft’s French voice in the August 14 update, describing it as robotic and lifeless compared to Cadol’s original performance.

• Cadol, who has voiced the character since 1996, learned about the AI cloning from angry fans who flooded her with messages within minutes of the update’s release.
• The cloned voice mixed new AI-generated segments with genuine recordings Cadol made years ago, creating jarring inconsistencies that fans found “absolutely scandalous.”
• Aspyr, the Austin, Texas-based developer, acknowledged using “unauthorized AI generated content” and removed all AI voiceover material following the backlash, but offered no explanation for how it happened.

Why this matters: The incident represents a concrete example of AI’s threat to creative professionals and demonstrates how easily voice cloning technology can be misused without proper safeguards.

• Voice actors warn this could set a precedent for replacing human performers across industries, from entertainment to business communications.
• The case illustrates the difficulty actors face in protecting their voices as AI tools become more sophisticated and widely available through consumer apps.

What they’re saying: Cadol is pursuing legal action against Aspyr, calling the unauthorized use of her voice “pathetic” and emphasizing that “my voice belongs to me.”

• “If we can replace actors, we’ll be able to replace accountants, and a whole range of other professions that could also be automated,” warned Patrick Kuban, co-president of United Voice Artists, an international federation of voiceover artists.
• Fan Romain Bos, who posted a viral YouTube video criticizing the change, said: “I grew up with Françoise Cadol’s voice. I’ve been a ‘Tomb Raider’ fan since I was young kid.”

The bigger picture: This controversy mirrors similar AI concerns across the entertainment industry, with video game performers recently striking for 11 months to secure AI protections in their contracts.

• Voice actors report receiving alerts about unauthorized voice cloning “from all over the world — from Brazil to Taiwan,” making it increasingly difficult to control how their voices are used.
• The technical quality issues in the cloned voice — including grammatical errors that mixed formal and informal French — revealed the limitations of current AI voice synthesis technology.

Key details: Cadol’s 12-year tenure voicing Lara Croft from 1996 to 2008 created what she calls an “intimate bond” with fans, who she considers the “guardians” of her work.

• The most obvious AI-generated segment instructed players on game controls with the phrase “Place toi devant et appuyez sur avancer,” which sounded grammatically incorrect to French speakers.
• Cadol’s Paris lawyer Jonathan Elkaim is seeking both an apology and financial compensation from the developer.