The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has recently signed an agreement with the AI company Ethovox to protect actors' rights in artificial intelligence voice models. The primary goal of this agreement is to establish a responsible framework for the use of AI in the entertainment industry, ensuring that actors' rights are upheld in the new technological era. Under this agreement, actors will receive upfront payments when recording their voices and will share in subsequent revenues. This means that actors will be compensated fairly when their voices are used in AI models.

Recently, 26 prominent Japanese voice actors, including Nakao Ryusei, Yamadera Koichi, Kaji Yuki, Fukuyama Jun, and Nakamura Daiki, formed a group called 'No More Mudan Seisei AI' to oppose the unauthorized use of AI-generated voice acting. The group released a video where Nakao Ryusei expressed his astonishment at his voice being sold without permission and urged listeners to consider voice actors' views on the unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence. Following this, the other 25 voice actors joined in the call.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed two new laws, vowing to safeguard the digital images of actors and other performers. These bills aim to protect actors from the unauthorized use of their digital likenesses or voices both during their lifetimes and posthumously. This move comes against the backdrop of growing concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor of artists. In a video posted on social media, Newsom stated: 'We talk about California as the state of dreams and doers. Many dreamers come here, but sometimes their voices are not fully represented.'

A conflict has erupted between Hollywood actors and video game companies over actors' rights, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence in game production. Over 300 actors protested outside Warner Bros. studio due to stalled negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and major game developers regarding protections for actors in the AI era. SAG-AFTRA fears that advancements in AI could allow companies to replicate actors' voices and images without fair c....

Hollywood actors and artists' unions plan to strike due to concerns that video game publishers are abusing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which they believe not only reduces job opportunities for actors but also threatens their career prospects and income. They accuse publishers of over-relying on AI, potentially using AI to replace real actors in roles, sparking widespread discussion on the use of AI in the entertainment industry. Actors are demanding measures to ensure that the use of AI technology does not harm them. This strike highlights the potential conflict between advancements in AI technology and human employment.

微软近期发布了一款零样本文本到语音（TTS）模型VALLE-2，该成果在技术界引发热议，被认为是TTS领域的里程碑。VALLE-2的创新之处在于其零样本学习能力，仅需一小段陌生语音样本，便能模仿声音说任意文本，实现了惊人的即时模仿和编码器分组。它还改进了重复感知采样，提高解码稳定性，并简化了数据需求。在主观评分和客观指标的测试中，VALLE-2超越了前代模型VALLE，几乎达到人类语音水平。然而，强大的语音模仿能力也引发了对Deepfake技术滥用的担忧，特别是关于伦理考量和潜在风险，如模型对非英美口音处理能力及计算效率的改进空间。当前，微软仅将其作为研究项目，并强调了合成语音检测和授权机制的重要性。未来在语音助手、内容创作等领域的应用值得期待，同时需要关注技术的伦理使用与风险防控。更多关于VALLE-2的信息可访问项目页面：Microsoft官网。

Under the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, the dubbing industry in Australia is facing unprecedented challenges. Recently, the Australian Voice Actors Association (AAVA) submitted a report to the parliamentary committee, indicating that the jobs of approximately 5000 local voice actors are at serious risk. They fear that with the emergence of cheap generative AI cloned voices, their work could be completely replaced.The "Canary" in the Dubbing IndustrySimon Kennedy, the p

A recent report by the renowned market research firm Gartner reveals that, based on a survey conducted by Gartner in December 2023 among 5728 customers, a significant 64% of respondents expressed a preference against the use of AI in customer service. More notably, 53% of customers stated that if they found a company's customer service using AI, they would consider switching to a competitor. These figures undoubtedly serve as a wake-up call for customer service companies actively deploying AI se

SAG-AFTRA, in collaboration with Replica Studios, has approved the use of AI voice actors, triggering discontent within the global voice-over community. The agreement aims to create 'fair and ethical' digital voice replicas, potentially impacting the future of human voice actors. Voice-over stars have expressed their concerns on social media, and some key figures in the voice industry have even begun to speculate about the possibility of a second actors' strike.

The American actors' union SAG-AFTRA has ended a 118-day strike and reached an agreement with film producers regarding the use of artificial intelligence. The agreement stipulates that explicit consent from actors is required to use their digital likeness, with compensation for each use. It introduces new concepts such as 'digital replicas' and 'synthetic performers', clearly defining actors' rights in relation to AI usage. Opinions in the industry about the agreement are mixed, with some expressing concerns that AI may more broadly replace live actors. This agreement is seen as the first significant protection for actors in the application of AI, potentially marking the beginning of industry standards.

VFX artists have criticized the AI background actors in 'Prom Pact', questioning the necessity of digital doubles and suggesting potential cover-up actions. The SAG-AFTRA strike has raised concerns in Hollywood regarding the use of AI and the replacement of real actors, and the effects in 'Prom Pact' have been called into question. The agreement between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP may impact the use of AI in films, though specific details have not been disclosed. The AI background actors in Disney+'s 'Prom Pact' seem to have caught attention quickly, as noted by Corrid.

Contractors have joined the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) to protest against retaliatory layoffs. The NLRB has determined that Google and Accenture are joint employers within the Google Content Creation Operations team in the U.S., prompting the protests. Google stated that it should not be involved in the union formation petition, but the NLRB concluded that 'Accenture and Google are joint employers of the petitioners.'

["Hollywood actors continue their strike, protesting the use of AI and 3D scanning technology","SAG-AFTRA union proposed a new contract which was rejected by film companies","Political legislation 'NO FAKES ACT' raises actors' hopes for control over their AI likeness","Actors' union accuses film companies of refusing to protect actors from being replaced by AI","SAG-AFTRA announces support for the 'NO FAKES ACT' bill"]

🔍 The proposal standardizes the rules regarding the use of personal faces, names, and voices, allowing for the creation of digital replicas in news, public affairs, sports broadcasting, documentaries, or biographical works, provided that consent is obtained from the relevant individuals or rights holders. 🔍 The anti-fraud bill essentially normalizes right of publicity laws, which vary by state and target the use of computer-generated replicas of deceased individuals. 🔍 There are concerns within the music industry about the fragmentation of right of publicity, potentially making it difficult to protect artists' public rights across state lines. 🔍 Industry organizations and law firms are responding to this proposal.