Increasing worries about the unregulated usage of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to an outcry not just from tech executives and government officials but now from singers and voice artists.
Prominent voices from these industries express a growing fear of redundancy due to AI technology. Mexican voice artist Mario Filio, who has lent his voice to characters played by Hollywood actor Will Smith and Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi, has described this as a battle against a ‘gigantic beast.’
To champion their cause, over 20 voiceover artists, associations, and unions from Europe, the US, and Latin America have formed a coalition named United Voice Artists. This alliance, under the campaign slogan “Don’t steal our voices,” represents the interests of voiceover artists and narrators for commercials, movies, audiobooks, and video games. They fear that they will either be replaced by machines or have their voices cloned by AI without consent.
The group argues that uncontrolled AI usage may lead to the extinction of an artistic heritage of creativity, an asset that machines cannot generate. The coalition includes members like the US National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) and Latin America’s Organization of United Voices.
AI Vs. Artistic Livelihood
The importance of having control over how their voices are used is underlined by Carin Gilfry, the vice president of NAVA, who stresses that voice artists can’t earn a living if they lack control over their voices’ usage. This is especially crucial as these artists have already been combating text-to-speech technology that converts written words into synthetic voices.
With the advent of AI, there’s a renewed sense of apprehension. Machine learning technology can now compare a voice sample with millions of existing ones, identifying patterns to generate a similar voice. President of the Mexican Association of Commercial Announcers, Desiree Hernandez, stated, “It’s fed by voices that we’ve been providing for years.”
Regulation and Protection
While some platforms suggest they are offering a quicker, cheaper alternative, not intending to replace human voiceovers, the voice artists remain skeptical. Artists have sought tools to monitor their voices to protect against advanced piracy. They are calling for regulation to prevent their voices from being used to develop AI without their permission.
According to Colombian voice artist Daniel Soler de la Prada, these demands include setting up support quotas for human voiceovers. Mexican voice artist Maclovia Gonzalez emphasized that she would only engage with an AI company if it furnished sufficient information about the proposed usage of the content.
Companies like Art Dubbing, which has received several requests from clients to use synthetic voices, face a critical choice – “Adapt or disappear,” according to its Mexican founder, Anuar Lopez de la Pena.
However, Mario Filio remains skeptical about AI completely replacing voice actors, believing that the machines lack the ‘soul’ essential for effective voice acting. Despite the potential impact on his career, he has refrained from recording for several clients to protect his colleagues’ livelihoods.
