There were several news stories about AI voices and how actors responded to them, and I wanted to put them all in one post and give my thoughts.
Last, Best, and Final Offer
First, we had the “Last and best” offer game studios sent to striking actors. Now, we have the “Last, best, and final offer.” What will their next offer be if SAG-AFTRA doesn’t accept this one? Last, best, final, ultimate, end of all things offer?
What’s new about this offer? Let’s break it down:
• The new offer eliminates a one-time payment for the unlimited digital replica clause. In plain English, a company could have paid an actor one time to use their voice for as many products as they wanted or as many within a given time. Now, the company will have to pay the actor each time their voice is used.
• No pay backs for withdrawn consent. Originally, if an actor gave their consent to use their voice as an AI, but then withdraws the consent for strike reasons, the company can’t ask for their money back. If an actor goes on strike, so does their AI!
• Wages are increased by 24% over the contract’s lifetime, with a 15% increase immediately after ratification.
Variety has the full offer if you want to read it, and you should. Going on strike works, and I’m glad to see companies finally giving voice actors protections from AI. It’s a step in the right direction, as there will undoubtedly be more protections actors need down the road. There does seem to be a lot more focus on the voice talents being able to choose how they use their voices, which is something I feel you shouldn’t need to fight for, but this is the world we live in.
Steve Downes Speaks Out
Have you played the Halo games? Even if you’re not a gamer, you’ve probably seen Master Chief, especially when the series was at its peak in the 2000s and early 2010s. Master Chief is an iconic character in gaming, and one reason for that is his actor, Steve Downes. The character is a man of few words, but when he does have something to say, Downes makes sure it leaves an impression. I still say, “I need a weapon,” whenever I’m faced with a tough situation.
Well, he’s come out and expressed support for the actors on strike, saying, “We’re not against the use of AI; we’re just against the misuse of it.”
His fellow actor, Jen Taylor, agreed. Taylor is the voice of Cortana, Master Chief’s AI assistant, in the Halo games and also the voice of the Cortana virtual assistant that Windows used from 2014 to 2023. At the time, Cortana felt like another feature Microsoft was forcing down our throats, but in the age of boring AI assistants, I miss it. To take a page out of Halo, Downes and Taylor are asking actors to finish the fight.
Japan Responds to AI Voices
Japanese anime is giant worldwide, and in the voice talent sphere, it takes two. In countries outside of Japan, some people watch their anime dubbed in English or their native language, while others prefer the original Japanese audio with subtitles.
As such, many Japanese voice actors are just as beloved overseas as they are in their own country. And the government is responding. METI, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said that using AI unethically could violate Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
METI used some examples, such as using an actor’s AI voice for a music video or alarm clock without their permission. They also expressed that each usage should be treated on a case-by-case basis.
In Japan, if you violate this act, you could face serious prison time—five years, as a matter of fact—or pay up to 5 million yen, or $34,000.
Also, voice actors have been making deals or speaking out. Some voice actors have created a group, “No More Mudan Seisei AI,” or “No More Unauthorized Generative AI.” Actors who are a part of this include Ryūsei Nakao, Kōichi Yamadera, and Romi Park. Even if you’re not a big anime person, you probably recognize some of the characters they voice. Freeza (Frieza) from Dragon Ball Z, Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, and Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, respectively.
Meanwhile, some actors have signed deals where their voices can be used for AI in situations such as robots or virtual assistants. This includes Masako Nozawa, Goku’s voice actor, inking a deal. Imagine Goku telling you where to go when you’re driving.
Reading this makes me glad the voice actors are responding to it similarly. I’m also glad to see the government speaking out. It feels the US government is much slower to this, either out of ignorance or bad faith, probably both.
So yes, it hasn’t been a bad week for AI protections. Obviously, there are many more protections AI actors need. For one thing, I’m glad to see that the union actors will be getting a lot more protections, but what about the small actors? Many aspiring talents are seeing this new paradigm shift and are asking, “Is it even worth it?” I say yes! People who care about their business will still want real talent voicing their works. AI will never be a replacement for real human talent.
But I get why someone would look at what’s going on and want to get a “real job,” which is also probably threatened by AI in some way. They may have had a gig, but then the client went radio silent, and the actor worries their voice was taken by AI and they have no way to pursue it.
If you’re feeling this way, I’d invite you to try still to voice on the side. It’s still a lucrative field, and definitely possible to make a living doing so. Hopefully, more protections for smaller actors is the next move in this ongoing fight.
