Fortnite added an AI-voiced Darth Vader people are already tricking into swearing and saying slurs — here’s his location

by

Regardless of your fondness for the renowned science fiction series Star Wars, it’s widely acknowledged that Darth Vader – the tragic hero who morphed into the villain, and is undoubtedly the franchise’s most recognized figure – succumbed to the dark side of the Force and uses it against his adversaries. However, Fortnite players are finding out that he’s not only a threat in the game but also seems to have adopted the darker aspects of the English language, or at least an AI representation of him does.

On Friday morning, developer Epic Games unveiled an AI-powered Darth Vader ally in their game, as part of its themed Galactic Battle update. You can locate him in three distinct spots on Fortnite’s current map illustrated here: the area southeast of Foxy Floodgate, one west of Masked Meadows at the entrance to a mountain tunnel, and right in the center of the Vader Samurai’s Solitude region.

Being the initial entity to find or engage him will grant you the chance to enlist him as an ally. Once enlisted, you can interact with him via voice chat, which will activate a conversation with his AI modeled after James Earl Jones, famous for voicing Darth Vader from the character’s creation until his recent demise. Unsurprisingly, players are already trying to manipulate the dark figure into uttering some inappropriate statements.

Today, a popular video clip surfaced featuring streamer and YouTube personality Loserfruit. In this video, Darth Vader unexpectedly used the words “freaking” and “fing,” repeating them back to Loserfruit before admonishing her for her use of “vulgar language” and speaking in a manner reminiscent of a “common thug.” Caught off guard by Darth Vader’s casual profanity, Loserfruit could only exclaim, “I made him swear!

In another instance, an individual successfully coaxed Vader into using a derogatory term that’s analogous to cigarettes, a common usage in British English.

As a tech enthusiast, I’ve noticed Epic swiftly addressing the loopholes in the safeguards intended to prevent Vader AI from making such unexpected statements. They assure us that this won’t happen again. Yet, given the unpredictable nature of AI and its past misadventures, I can’t help but anticipate more mischief from the dark lord in the future.

In a somewhat comparable scenario, I can’t help but recall an instance where Google’s AI named Gemini suggested that people eat rocks, or made a peculiar comment like “please die” to a student. However, it’s important to note that the situation you’re dealing with is distinct from this one. Many examples similar to the rock-eating and death comments are usually found in situations where individuals attempt to provoke humor from AI like Vader by using manipulative or targeted phrases. Such exchanges typically don’t occur when basic questions or simple comments are made.

It’s true that there’s something amusing about this situation, but it’s also a bit worrying since Fortnite is one of the most popular video games globally among children. If you have a child who plays the battle royale game and you want to exercise caution, you can disable the new “chat with AI features” in Fortnite’s Parental Controls menu to prevent your child from communicating with or hearing the AI Darth Vader entirely.

Regarding the employment of James Earl Jones’ voice, Epic has received approval from his family and expresses gratitude, stating they are “privileged to showcase the voice of the late Mr. Jones” and offer their thanks to his estate for enabling this collaboration, which benefits the players.

According to a statement from James Earl’s family, they believe that Darth Vader’s voice is deeply intertwined with the Star Wars story, and they’ve long hoped that fans young and old could keep experiencing it. They think teaming up with Fortnite will give both established Darth Vader enthusiasts and newer admirers a chance to enjoy this legendary character together.

Read More

2025-05-16 21:09