These days, artificial intelligence talent is making appearances in the entertainment world and taking the world by storm in the form of movies, videos, and audio content produced without the need for human actors. AI-generated images are almost identical to real ones, and with the advancement of voice cloning, Artificial Intelligence voices are now as lifelike as possible.
But this also brings up moral and legal concerns about the permission and rights of the original artists and performers. And now, a lot of voice actors have spoken out against these issues as Artificial Intelligence has made its way into the anime industry and is replacing voice actors by mimicking their voices and recreating them almost exactly.
The renowned voice actor Yuki Kaji, who portrayed Eren Jaeger in Attack on Titan, discusses AI-generated content from the viewpoint of a voice actor. He explained how it became so frustrating and it disregards the hard work of Voice actors.
Yuki Kaji Believes Artificial Intelligence is Disregarding the Work of Voice Actors
In a recent interview with NHK’s Close-Up Gendai titled “ This is real! Sweeping the world! Generated Artificial Intelligence content ” on Dec 12, 2023, which was posted by Oricon, Kaji was shown an Artificial Intelligence cover that was made by cloning his voice. The cover was of a song of Attack on Titan season 4 part 2 ending theme song. Kaji shared his views on AI-generated content from a voice actor’s perspective. He said:
“Voice actors are not only responsible for their voices, but they also have the responsibility and determination to infuse life and soul into their work. As an actor, it is frustrating to see that the actor’s work is output in a different form by merely tracing the surface of the work. The efforts of everyone involved in the project have been somewhat disregarded,”
Kaji conveyed his extreme dissatisfaction and worry about the development of artificial intelligence, stating that anyone can use a voice actor’s voice, run it through a program, and use that voice to create a virtual character that sings without authorization.
Many Actors Have Voiced Their Concern About AI
Kaji, who is most known for lending his voice to Shoto in My Hero Academia and Eren Jaeger in Attack on Titan, is not the first actor to voice his displeasure with the use of Artificial Intelligence to copy his voice without permission. Several artists have previously voiced their opposition to Artificial Intelligence stealing their ideas and training them without their consent.
Voice actors find it offensive that Artificial Intelligence can reduce their work to such a superficial level. Furthermore, the fact that it is not only undermining their roles and careers but also assuming control of their identities and giving the impression that they have no control over them justifies their frustration.
