If you ever wanted to talk to Darth Vader, you can in Fortnite. The hit game has brought the famous Star Wars villain back to life using AI to even give the character James Earl Jones’ voice. Jones died last year. But his voice is living on through the AI-powered Darth Vader in Fortnite as an in-game character that can talk to you about all kinds of topics, similar to conversational AI. Just don’t expect him to be nice. The AI-powered character accurately captures Darth Vader’s domineering, hostile, and often belittling demeanor.On Friday, social media became full of clips of Fortnite’s Darth Vader talking with players using Jones’s deep iconic voice. The effect can be hilarious since Vader will often ridicule players and even comment on modern day topics common to Earth, rather than the Star Wars universe. “These ‘Skibidi toilets,’ are they some new form of Rebel Alliance?” the AI-powered Vader said in one clip, referencing a slang term used among kids. Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games, said it created the in-game character with permission from Jones’ estate. “James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it,” his family said in a statement.Recommended by Our EditorsAccording to an FAQ, to generate Jones’ voice, Epic Games tapped ElevenLabs, a text-to-speech AI voice provider. In addition, the company is harnessing Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash model, which is designed to power AI agents, to generate the responses for the Darth Vader character. The Gemini model is able to help Darth Vader even recognize actions from the player, or if they've assumed a skin, like a Dragon Ball character or Spider-Man. Although the result is certainly amusing, the Darth Vader creation has also been spotted making some potentially controversial comments using Jones’ voice. “Spanish? A useful tongue for smugglers and spice traders. Its strategic value is minimal” the character said in one uploaded clip. One streamer was also able to trigger Darth Vader to repeat the F word. Vader then berated the streamer for speaking like a “common thug” for using the swear word. Many other gamers are also trying to find ways to "break" Vader and force him to speak profanities. Epic Games didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the potential content moderation issues around the character. In the meantime,Fortnite players can access AI-powered Vader after defeating him as a boss in the game during a  Battle Royale or Zero Build match. “Be the first to recruit him and your whole team will be able to take turns talking to the Dark Lord. Just remember to press the special Darth Vader button that’ll pop up to talk to him,” Epic Games says. #revives #darth #vader #james #earl