Published: October 30, 2024

SAG-AFTRA inks deal with AI company, promises ‘ethical AI development’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Voice AI company Ethovox partnered with SAG-AFTRA to give actors accountability and choice as concern about the role of AI in entertainment continues to grow.

The company uses the AI ​​voices of voice actors only with their consent, and they receive compensation for the use of their voices.

“SAG-AFTRA members who lend their voices to model development will receive both session fees and ongoing revenue sharing throughout the life of the core model,” The Wrap explicitly.

The Wrap also notes that “no actor will have their voice recognizably replicated by the model,” and voices will not be identified by AI-generated speech.

“Ethovox is the only voice AI company owned and operated by voice actors, and we’re excited to partner with SAG-AFTRA to build a core voice AI model that prioritizes the interests of voice actors.” said Ethovox CEO Cissy Jones. “AI should be a choice. For this reason, we reached out to the voice actor community throughout this process. Ethovox will continue to do so, proving that artists can and should be compensated for contributing to the ethical development of AI while retaining consent and control over their voice data.”

Deadline explained, “In addition to securing adequate compensation for SAG-AFTRA members who want to participate in building the model, the union says it has secured a ‘commitment to diversity and inclusion’ from Ethovox.”

SAG-AFTRA has also joined forces with artificial intelligence company Narrativ for these reasons. Their union allows them to “license digital voiceover for use in audio commercials,” according to Deadline.

“Narrativ—an online platform that allows performers to license their digital voiceovers for use in digital audio commercials—has agreed to SAG-AFTRA’s AI informed consent, compensation and individual control requirements, and additional AI railings”, SAG-AFTRA announced.

These partnerships with AI companies are part of the union’s goal to protect its members from having their voices stolen and used without their consent, as several A-listers have experienced.

Morgan Freeman is thanking fans after being alerted to a viral video that uses an AI version of his voice … Freeman isn’t the only Hollywood star to respond to unauthorized use of their voice or likeness. Actress Scarlett Johansson recently hired legal counsel after claiming that OpenAI used her voice likeness without her consent. She claimed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman initially asked for permission to use her voice.

READ MORE: MORGAN FREEMAN DRAWS ‘UNAUTHORIZED’ AI VERSION OF HIS VOICE