Recently, a group of 26 renowned Japanese voice actors, including Ryusei Nakao, Kōichi Yamadera, Yuki Kaji, Jun Fukuyama, and Daisuke Namikawa, have formed a collective named "No More Mudan Seisei AI" to protest the unauthorized use of AI-generated dubbing.
The group released a video where Nakao expressed his shock over his voice being sold without permission and called for the public to listen to voice actors' perspectives on the unauthorized use of generative AI. Subsequently, the other 25 voice actors joined the call.
Additionally, talent agency Aoni Production and AI voice platform CoeFont have recently announced a partnership to create AI-replicated voices using voice data from 10 voice actors. Although the project promises not to use the voice training data for animations, dubbing, or similar performances, it still raises concerns about performers' rights and livelihoods.
Yuki Kaji even initiated a campaign to raise funds for his Soyogi Fractal project, aiming to prevent his voice from being used illegally. The campaign, hosted on crowdfunding service Campfire, raised over three times the target amount, indicating public concern over the issue.
