The American television and radio artists' union (SAG-AFTRA) has recently signed a landmark agreement with AI voice company Ethovox, setting clear guidelines for the AI application of actors' voice data. This agreement not only provides a reliable framework for the entertainment industry's use of AI technology but also establishes new standards for protecting actors' rights.
According to the agreement, actors will receive dual income guarantees: one is the upfront fee for voice recording, and the other is the ongoing revenue share generated by the AI voice model application. More importantly, any use of voice data must receive explicit authorization from the actor themselves and is limited to specific approved purposes.
Ethovox has made several commitments in the agreement, the most critical of which is to ensure that individual voice characteristics cannot be identified in the final AI model, thereby protecting the uniqueness of actors. At the same time, the company will focus on diversity and inclusion principles during the technical development process.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, emphasized that in the era of AI, only more, not less, contractual protection can ensure the professional survival of voice actors. He warned that without informed consent and fair compensation mechanisms, the entire industry could fall into a失控的"wild west" state.
It is worth mentioning that Cissy Jones, the CEO of Ethovox, is herself a voice actor. She particularly emphasized that the application of AI technology must be based on the voluntary participation of artists, which is also an important reason why the company has actively sought the opinions of the entertainment industry from the beginning.
The signing of this agreement is not an isolated case. SAG-AFTRA has previously signed similar agreements with 80 gaming companies, establishing protection mechanisms to prevent the unauthorized use of actors' voices and images. Additionally, the union has reached agreements with major record companies, requiring authorization and payment for digital voice replication. Following a four-month strike last year, the union also secured equally strong protection clauses from film studios, ensuring that the use of digital replicas requires actor approval and equivalent compensation to the original performance.
These ongoing protection measures demonstrate that the entertainment industry is actively adapting to new technologies in the AI era while striving to maintain the legitimate rights and interests of creators, laying a solid foundation for the healthy development of the entire industry.