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As
performers fear AI will make theft of their likenesses common,
the new agreement seeks to ensure actors derive income from the
technology and have control over how and when their voice
replicas are used.
“Not all members will be interested in taking advantage of the
opportunities that licensing their digital voice replicas might
offer, and that’s understandable,” SAG-AFTRA official Duncan
Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. "But for those who do, you
now have a safe option."
Narrativ connects advertisers and ad agencies with actors to
create audio ads using AI.
Under the deal, an actor can set the price for an advertiser to
digitally replicate their voice, provided it at least equals the
SAG-AFTRA minimum pay for audio commercials. Brands must obtain
consent from performers for each ad that uses the digital voice
replica.
The union hailed the pact with Narrativ as setting a standard
for the ethical use of AI-generated voice replicas in
advertising. Actress Scarlett Johansson drew attention to the
perils earlier this year when she accused OpenAI of copying her
voice for its conversational AI system.
The technology was also a key issue in last year's Hollywood
strike, the first simultaneous strike in 63 years by actors and
writers.
Video game voice actors and motion-capture performers called a
strike last month over failed labor contract negotiations
focused on AI-related protections for workers.
Legislation called the NO FAKES Act has been introduced in
Congress and would give every person a right to their own voice
and likeness, making AI copying without permission illegal. SAG-AFTRA,
the Motion Picture Association, The Recording Academy and Disney
support the bill.
Proliferation of so-called deepfakes, which are highly realistic
videos generated by AI trained on actual voices and images, and
their role in manipulating public opinion have also raised alarm
worldwide.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by
Cynthia Osterman)
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