--- title: "Voice Actors Enraged By Companies Stealing Their Voices With AI" description: "More voice acting contracts are embedding sneaky clauses that would allow a client to synthesize their voice with AI, often without extra compensation." date: "2023-02-13" modified: "2023-02-13" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/voice-actors-companies-stealing-voices-with-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "generative ai" - "voice actor" --- # Voice Actors Enraged By Companies Stealing Their Voices With AI ![More voice acting contracts are embedding sneaky clauses that would allow a client to synthesize their voice with AI, often without extra compensation.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* It's not just [visual artists who are feeling the heat]() of AI's encroachment — now, professional voice actors are beginning to be affected, too. Last week, [*Vice* reported]() on a troubling trend that's gaining traction in the voice acting industry: actors being "asked" — sometimes not very honestly — to sign contracts that would allow their clients to synthesize their voices using AI**,** enabling them to wield an actor's voice for as long as they want, to say what they want, and often without any additional compensation. Another distressing aspect of these contracts? The AI clauses in them tend to be deceptively embedded. "The language can be confusing and ambiguous," Tim Friedlander, president of the National Association of Voice Actors, told *Vice,* describing the practice as "very prevalent." "Many voice actors may have signed a contract without realizing language like this had been added ... Some actors are being told they cannot be hired without agreeing to these clauses," he noted. In the wake of the news, many voice acting heavyweights began to chime in on the use of AI to mimic their voices, [*Gizmodo* spotted](). Some had only just discovered that their voices were being synthesized on AI apps and websites [without their permission]() (though they have not disclosed which specific platforms). "Hey friends, I know AI technology is exciting, but if you see my voice or any of the characters that I voice offered on any of those sites, please know that I have not given my permission, and never will," wrote Steve Blum, the iconic gravelly voice behind Spike Spiegel from the hit anime series "Cowboy Bebop," in a [tweet]() on Friday. "This is highly unethical," he added. Many other notable voice actors, like [Matthew Mercer,]() [Stephanie Sheh](), and Cristina Vee, echoed Blum's sentiment. "I know people have been using AI of my voice to have fun, make my characters cuss or do other out of pocket things, etc," Vee [tweeted](). "This is all done without my consent and it does feel extremely weird. If you see clips out there, please know it’s without my permission." For now, voice actors still have a choice to sign these contracts — assuming they realize what kind of devilish deal they're getting into in the first place. But it's undeniable that if this becomes a common practice, the pressure to sign these contracts will soon be overwhelming if it's a choice between getting paid work and nothing at all. The monetary implications of that for voice actors are already worrying enough, but the potential for their voices to be applied to content they never consented to be a part of in the first place is even more disturbing. "What happens when we happily agree to a role, and, once in the booth, we see a particular line in the script that doesn't feel right, and express unambiguous discomfort? " asked voice actor Sarah Elmaleh, in her comments to *Vice*. "What happens if the producer doesn't comprehend or accept the seriousness of that objection?" "Normally, we are able to refuse to read the line, to prevent it from being used," Elmaleh added. "This technology obviously circumvents that entirely." **More on generative AI:** *[David Guetta Faked Eminem’s Vocals Using AI for New Song]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()