AI-Driven 'Artificial Voice Synthesis' on the Rise
Growing Concerns Over Its Reckless Use
As cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) expands into novels, essays, and graphics, voice actors are now raising concerns. Some AI companies are accused of 'replicating' voice actors' voices and selling them at low prices.
The US-based tech media outlet Vice introduced cases last month of some voice actors who signed unfair contracts with AI companies. These voice actors recorded voice samples under contracts with AI companies that create new voices by combining human voices. It is said that the AI companies then trained their AI with these samples and began producing similar voices to sell to other content companies at discounted prices.
Frida Wolf, a voice actor famous for an American online game, told the outlet, "Game developers, animation studios, and other general companies can train AI with my voice to produce works," expressing concern that "they might not provide me with any information about those works, nor offer any compensation."
Artificial intelligence (AI) can generate various modulated voices by using voice actor Sungwoo's voice as a learning sample. / Photo by Yonhap News
Korean-American voice actor Seongwon Cho also recently posted on his Twitter account, saying, "I heard from people around me that my voice is being used on AI sites," and added, "If you see a site offering my 'voice,' please know that it is not with my permission."
He emphasized, "I explicitly oppose (the use of AI voices)."
AI voices created by learning from human voice samples have rapidly advanced over the past few years. In South Korea, last October, Naver gained attention by launching the "Please Request Mom's Voice Campaign," which uses voice synthesis AI technology to generate voices of oneself or family members.
However, concerns about indiscriminate use of voice synthesis AI are growing, especially in the voice acting industry, which has long treated one's voice as an intangible asset.
In this regard, the US Voice Actors Guild warned Vice, "There are increasing contract clauses specifying the synthesis rights of voice actors' voices. These clauses are often vague and confusing, leading to many voice actors unknowingly signing agreements."
They added, "If such contracts become widespread, not only voice actors but also the content industry will suffer. Many professional voice actors build their careers starting as blue-collar 'voice workers' working nine hours a day. If these jobs are replaced by AI, a significant part of the industry will be harmed."
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