As artists fear AI will make theft of their images common, the new agreement seeks to ensure that actors earn 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 offered by licensing their digital voiceovers, and that’s understandable,” SAG-AFTRA official Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. “But those who are, now have a safe option.”
Narrativ connects advertisers and advertising agencies with actors to create audio ads using AI.
Under the agreement, an actor can set the price an advertiser must pay for the digital reproduction of his or her voice, as long as it is at least equal to SAG-AFTRA’s minimum wage for audio ads. Brands must obtain consent from performers for each ad that uses the digital voice replica.
The union praised the Narrativ deal for setting a standard for the ethical use of AI-generated voice replicas in advertising. Actress Scarlett Johansson drew attention to the dangers earlier this year when she accused OpenAI of copying her voice for its conversational AI system.
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Technology was also a key issue in last year’s Hollywood strike, the first simultaneous walkout in 63 years by actors and screenwriters. Video game voice actors and motion capture artists called a strike last month over failed labor contract negotiations focused on AI-related protections for workers.
A bill called the NO FAKES Act has been introduced in Congress that would give every person the right to their own voice and image, making it illegal to copy artificial intelligence without permission. SAG-AFTRA, the Motion Picture Association, the Recording Academy and Disney are supporting the bill.
The proliferation of so-called deepfakes, which are highly realistic videos generated by an AI trained with real voices and images, and their role in manipulating public opinion have also raised alarm around the world.
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