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PayPalActive Matter from Gaijin Network Ltd looks like a lot of fun for fans of first-person shooters, but they soured it with a truly distasteful AI notice.
This isn't even getting into my own personal thoughts on generative AI, but rather the attempt from developer Matter Team to dive into what I assume is supposed to be an edgy joke. The problem is, what they said is just so abhorrent that I am amazed someone actually signed off on having this published to the official Steam page:
The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:
In-game AI character Ms. Second is using AI generated voice. Using humans voices for AI character would be cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation. Really? That's what we're going with? I'm pretty lost for words on the stupidity here.
Their PR team did already send over review keys to GamingOnLinux, and I asked them what they were thinking with this notice and to clarify how generative AI is being used (I assume they are actually using AI for that voice) and I am yet to receive a reply. I will update if they do reply.
Update - 10:39 UTC - Gaijin replied and simply said:
"We do not use generative AI for anything other than for Ms. Second. And even there, the choice is deliberate: we use an AI-generated voice not to cut costs, or speed up production, but because we see it as a postmodern artistic statement – an AI character quite literally speaking with an AI-generated voice"
Update #2 - 13:04 UTC - Gaijin followed up to say:
"In other words, we think AI should be voiced by AI - not to offend AI. This feels especially important nowadays, with AGI almost here. That's all we can say, unpacking the whole AI cultural narrative isn’t really our place."
That…just…I'm completely lost for words. Pure stupidity. I'm baffled by their thinking. Either they've completely lost the plot on AI or they're determined to go deep into what they see as a joke without thinking about the industry at all, and how stupidly insensitive it is to joke about cultural appropriation.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Ah, who am I kidding. not enough people care. Still, it would have cost them nothing to *not* do that.
I'm pretty sure, like 99% sure, that nobody did. In all probability, they just asked the person maintaining the store page to set up the notice, in accordance with Valve's rules, that AI is used for the AI character's voice. And they did, in their own way...
Using an AI generated voice for some robot or the like does sound ok.
"Draft a response that ethically justifies the change in a way that social media users will understand."
I can't imagine them being serious in such a claim.
Quoting: ShabbyXIt looks sarcastic to me, taking a jab at people who call other ridiculous stuff as cultural appropriations. No? 🤔Which other ridiculous stuff for example?
Liam Squires-Hand 11 Sep 2026
Best to just avoid this game. This is just embarassing.
Quoting: ShabbyXIt looks sarcastic to me, taking a jab at people who call other ridiculous stuff as cultural appropriations. No? 🤔Much more likely, it's the type who spends a lot of their time complaining about "the woke" and thinks it's clever or edgy to use the language of their culture war opponents without taking even a second to understand what they mean.
I can't imagine them being serious in such a claim.
Quoting: NezchanYou're talking about the same thought process viewed from a different angle.Quoting: ShabbyXIt looks sarcastic to me, taking a jab at people who call other ridiculous stuff as cultural appropriations. No? 🤔Much more likely, it's the type who spends a lot of their time complaining about "the woke" and thinks it's clever or edgy to use the language of their culture war opponents without taking even a second to understand what they mean.
I can't imagine them being serious in such a claim.
You would consider x amount of time spent complaining about "the woke" a lot and ShabbyX would consider a complaint of x amount of silliness too silly to be taken seriously.
I would like to request you to not get in a slugfest about, which perspective should be taken, since both conclude that they're ridiculing people they dislike.
Yet, I also admit the right to endlessly dispute about, which of these perspectives is best is your right under Article 19 of the universal declaration of human rights, so feel free to fight about it if you need it.
GustyGhost 11 Sep 2026
StalePopcorn 11 Sep 2026
Geamandura 12 Sep 2026
Johnologue 12 Sep 2026
"In other words, we think AI should be voiced by AI - not to offend AI. This feels especially important nowadays, with AGI almost here. That's all we can say, unpacking the whole AI cultural narrative isn’t really our place."Like, I think this is pretty ridiculous. AGI isn't "almost here", and AI isn't going to be offended at AI not being used. They probably should have said the last sentence "we're not going to add fuel to the fire here, it's not our job to talk out the AI cultural narrative" without first adding fuel to the fire.
I just don't think the original joke is bad. It might have read worse because of a perceived association between edgy right-wing people and pro-AI views; I've been called "woke" for a "no AI was used" notice, so I see the connection...but the AI disclaimer is just for the voice...so they're hardly NFT-bro maximalists. They would've used it WAY more.
I will also acknowledge, human voice actors can play robot characters very well! GLaDOS was voiced by a person imitating a speech synthesizer, and that definitely made the character much more powerful and memorable. I won't complain a robot voice is being used for a robot, but I also will say, there's another way that's pretty cool, too.
Quoting: tarmo888Never knew about this game, probably most people didn't. They probably knew it too, so they needed to expand the visibility with something edgy and started sending review keys to AI-haters for reaction. Seems like it worked, such an obvious trap.They might have expanded on visibility, but I'm still not buying their shite.
mattaraxia 12 Sep 2026
It may be more unfortunate than offensive. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm sure they were trying to make an edgy joke, but it probably hits real different among their peers than yours. I just try to treat these things like I would if I had say a coworker who spoke English as a second language and said something bizarre than assuming it's this either or like this article says. It's likely not so harsh as all that, but it certainly would be good if someone got them to change it.