"One of those ways where you can use AI ethically": CDPR have modified Geralt's Polish voice in The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past with genAI, due to actor's stro

CD Projekt Red collaborated with Ukrainian AI firm Respeecher to alter voice recordings for Geralt of Rivia in the Polish version of *The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past* expansion. The adjustment was made at the request of the studio to ensure Geralt’s voice lines closely matched those recorded by actor Jacek Rozenek before a 2019 stroke altered his speech. Rozenek had previously recorded some lines for a 2022 update but found the process exhausting, prompting the studio to seek an alternative solution.

The decision followed a meeting confirming that Rozenek’s voice had become lower and gruffer due to the stroke and aging, leading CD Projekt Red to avoid recasting. Instead, the studio opted to use Respeecher’s AI technology to modify Rozenek’s new lines, aligning them with his original recordings from over a decade ago. Rozenek explicitly approved the approach, stating his goal was to maintain consistency with his earlier voice for Geralt.

This marks the second time CD Projekt Red has employed Respeecher’s services, having previously used AI voice synthesis in *Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty* to replicate the voice of the late actor Miłosz Reczek. For that project, another actor voiced new lines for the character Viktor Vektor, which were then AI-modified to sound like Reczek’s original recordings, with permission from his family.

Localisation producer Mikołaj Szwed emphasized the ethical considerations of using AI with consent, framing the approach as a responsible application of the technology. Szwed noted the studio views this as a special case due to Rozenek’s circumstances, with no plans to apply the same AI treatment to English voice actor Doug Cockle’s lines or future recordings by Rozenek.