Steve Downes Says AI Voice Clones of Master Chief “Cross a Line”

Steve Downes, the longtime voice of Master Chief, has spoken out against the growing use of AI to recreate his voice without permission, saying the practice makes him deeply uncomfortable and needs to stop.

Steve Downes has voiced the iconic hero of the Halo franchise for more than two decades, becoming instantly recognisable to millions of fans. But in a recent AMA on his YouTube channel, the actor said AI-generated versions of his voice are crossing an ethical line.

Downes acknowledged that artificial intelligence is here to stay, and even praised some fan-made projects as creative and well-intentioned. Still, he drew a clear boundary when it comes to AI being used to convincingly imitate him.

“One of the things that can be overwhelming when it comes to attention from fans is when AI gets involved,” he said. “A lot of it is harmless, I suppose, but some of it cannot be harmless.”

While Downes accepts that AI has positive uses across many industries, he warned that it can also take real work away from actors. Hearing AI-generated clips that sound exactly like him, he said, is unsettling—especially when people might believe he actually recorded those lines.

“When you get to the AI part and deceiving somebody into thinking that these are lines that I actually spoke when they're not, that’s when we cross a line,” Downes explained. “I don’t like it. I would prefer that it not be done.”

His comments come at a time when AI deepfakes—both visual and audio—are becoming more common, faster, and harder to spot. With little legal protection in place, many actors say they feel powerless as their voices and likenesses are copied and shared without consent.

Video game voice actors have been particularly vocal. In 2023, performers condemned AI-generated NSFW mods for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, calling them a violation. Victoria Atkin, who starred in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, described AI cloning as “the invisible enemy we’re fighting right now.” Paul Eiding, known for Metal Gear Solid, has also publicly criticised the practice.

The issue stretches far beyond gaming. In film and TV, stars have repeatedly found their faces and voices used in fake ads and online scams. Keanu Reeves has slammed AI deepfakes promoting products he never endorsed, reportedly paying a company to help take them down from platforms like TikTok and Meta.

Other high-profile cases include Tom Hanks, who warned fans in 2023 about an AI version of himself appearing in a dental plan ad, and Morgan Freeman, who thanked fans for flagging fake videos that used his famous voice. Last year, Jamie Lee Curtis even appealed directly to Mark Zuckerberg after struggling to remove an AI-generated ad using her likeness.

For Downes, the issue isn’t about stopping fans from being creative—it’s about honesty and consent.

“There’s a lot of fan-made work that’s done from the heart,” he said. “But when AI is used to trick people into thinking I said something I didn’t, that’s where I’m not okay with it.”

As AI tools continue to improve, his comments highlight a growing concern across the entertainment industry: just because something can be done, doesn’t mean it should be.