Longtime cast member Nancy Cartwright, who is best known for voicing Bart Simpson and other characters on the show, shared her thoughts on the future of voice acting in the era of artificial intelligence as The Simpsons celebrates its milestone 800th episode. Nancy Cartwright has been the voice of Bart Simpson since the character's 1987 debut. With his rebellious flair, sarcastic humor, and iconic tagline, "Eat my shorts!" the spiky-haired troublemaker swiftly emerged as the series' breakout star as well as one of the most iconic animated characters of all time.Bart Simpson isn't the only character that she voices. She gives life to many Springfield residents, such as the school bully Nelson Muntz, who is famous for saying "Ha-ha!" Ralph Wiggum, Chief Wiggum's charming but often clueless son, Todd Flanders, one of the Flanders children, and finally Maggie Simpson, Bart's youngest sister. Cartwright had originally planned to audition for the role of Bart's sister, Lisa Simpson, but then switched at the last minute. She was then hired on the spot by the show's creator, Matt Groening. A decision that would shape her career for almost forty years. Speaking about the experience, she said:"It's not even a show. I was degrading it. I was thinking, ‘What is this anyway?'"She added:"And it started airing on The Tracey Ullman Show. And again, it was just this little hiccup, but that little hiccup started to grow."After debuting as a stand-alone series in December 1989, the show itself transformed from animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show into a standalone series. Becoming one of the most iconic TV series as well as a foundational pop culture juggernaut. What did Nancy Cartwright say about AI?Cartwright addressed worries that her voice might eventually be replicated by AI. She said she would rather personally select a successor than let generative AI mimic Bart's voice once she retires, during the show's 800th episode celebration. Nancy Cartwright underlined that voice acting is more than just sound; it also entails storytelling and emotional connection. She also added that human performance has a spiritual and emotional component that is impossible for machines to replicate:“I think I would choose a successor [instead of AI], and I’ll tell you why — because AI has no heart and I think that’s a missing ingredient.”She added:“[AI] might sound pretty close to Nancy Cartwright, but I got passion. We’re spiritual beings, we can emote passion and uplift people and stuff. And I don’t know that a computer can do something like that.”Nancy Cartwright's remarks come at a time when artificial intelligence has become an explosive topic in Hollywood. Disney, the parent company, has investigated AI-powered technologies, such as generative tools that may have an influence on streaming and animation.Last November, Disney announced that Disney+ subscribers would be able to make their own AI-generated content on the platform. CEO Bob Iger had revealed that they were in the thick of rolling out the biggest, most significant changes yet, in terms of products and technology, since the launch of the platform in 2019. Iger said:“The other thing that we’re really excited about, that AI is going to give us the ability to do, is to provide users of Disney+ with a much more engaged experience, including the ability for them to create user-generated content and to consume user-generated content – mostly short-form – from others.”In the meantime, labor groups such as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have advocated for safeguards to stop the unapproved digital duplication of performers' voices and likenesses.Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.