AI 'stole' our voices. Actors show CNN comparison of their voices and alleged ‘illegal’ AI versions

Voice actors Linnea Sage and Paul Skye Lehrman say they recorded their voices for a client who hired them for “academic research” and “tests for radio ads.” Years later, the couple were shocked to discover “AI versions” of their voices. In a video demonstration, they showed CNN’s Clare Duffy why they believe their voices were “stolen.”
The voice actors’ lawsuit against Lovo, the company they claim is behind the AI voices, is just the latest in a recent string of legal actions brought against various tech companies by creatives, writers and artists who say their work was used without their permission to train AI systems that could ultimately compete with them. Such lawsuits have added to a growing wave of concerns over how the training of AI models, which requires huge swaths of data, could run afoul of copyright and intellectual property laws.
Produced by John General
Senior Producer: Mags Dawson
VO/Reporter: Clare Duffy
Camera Ops: Deb Brunswick, Aaron Fisher, Nick Godsell
Audio Engineer: Dan Dzula
#cnn #news #ai

[@DakTirCue]

i've noticed a bunch of youtube ads selling "military grade flashlights"or whatever....and its 100% Joe rogan's voice. pretty sure he's not doing these ads.

[@Martell-XO]

I've heard Judge Judy's voice and at least 2 others in commercials. If you're paying for the rights it usually starts with "This is so-and-so here".

[@DakTirCue]

@@Martell-XO The commercials Im talking about definitely don't have "This is Joe Rogan here".So I'm assuming it's an AI ripoff.

[@Swnsasy]

I know the one you're talking about. Also Oprah, The Rock, Cedric the Entertainer.. It's a lot and yes, you definitely can tell it's AI

[@guiltybastard7859]

This is what Hollywood actors are so worried about, and why they went on strike last year. If producers can replace expensive actors with cheap digital imitations they will do so in a heartbeat.

[@stevenhoule1866]

We no longer have control of the use of AI. It's completely over taking my industry of photography and graphic design.

[@canadianmonte]

Our societal structure is not set up to survive this technology.

[@Republic4ever714]

That’s their plan pure GODLESS evil people at work here but they lose in the end!

[@nabirasch5169]

You're already surrounded by worse threats.

[@jjrbanana]

I have to say. This is a worrying trend. You should have all legal rights over your voice and image.

[@briley2177]

Should you also have legal rights to sounds that you can create in a recording studio? Because what do you do with the conflict that arises when a person creates a sound in a recording studio that “sounds like” a sound that another person “can make” with their voice BUT “didn’t actually make” with their voice? Do you have a right to all the sounds you can potentially make with your voice, even the ones you haven’t made with your voice, and what happens if someone else can make those sounds WITHOUT using any of your anatomy? This issue isn’t as black and white as you make it seem.

[@carlr458]

​@@briley2177this is an argument that's already been solved. Demos used for hip hop tracks include royalty payments. Covers are acceptable for people to do because they themselves created the sounds. There are public access options for voices that can be used with AI, just like there are public access sounds for instruments.

[@briley2177]

@@carlr458 They AI didn’t duplicate somebody else’s prior creation… so it’s not a demo or a sample. Same thing with a “cover.” This isn’t an example of one person recreating the previous work of another. This is creating novel patterns of sounds, that happen to resemble sounds a person COULD MAKE - but they are a pattern of sounds that the other person never actually made. This isn’t “copying” someone else’s work… this is creating work that another person had the potential to create. It would be like taking all of the works of a famous artist or musician and then duplicating their style and technique in such exacting detail as to make this new song or painting indistinguishable from the former artists’ BODY OF WORK but not actually a duplicate their pre-existing work. I’m sorry, but you’re conflating this with “copying” or “recreating” and those concepts deal with a pre-existing thing to be copied (like a song). This isn’t copying words that have been spoken - it’s mimicking the manner of speech and creating a pattern of sounds that the other artist didn’t actually create at all.

[@vincentvalashu]

Is it really your voice if you never said it, and the voice that sounds similar to yours never claims to be you? A digital recreation is not the same as an original

[@olencone4005]

@@briley2177 The problem comes from where the training material comes from. Like the recent issue with Scarlett and OpenAI -- if they used a recording of her voice without compensation or agreement, then they are likely in violation of US copyright law... but if they used a different voice actress who just happened to sound like Scarlett, then as long as that other actress is in agreement it's fair use, even if it sounds just like Scarlett. The voice itself can't be copyrighted, but the recording that the AI is given as training material to "learn" that voice can be, even if what the AI says in that voice is completely different material. And some companies are not paying much attention to that, which is an issue.

[@janetkirk6266]

Theft should be punished.

[@onlyyoucanstopevil9024]

I am use random voice people on street. So....

[@zod6250]

Sue for copyright infringement.

[@onlyyoucanstopevil9024]

If million use that. U can still sue them?

[@Nobddy]

It’s crazy. All the company had to do was not use their voices

[@Martell-XO]

Wait a second. You're saying all they had to do was not be a scum-bag? You obviously haven't worked in advertising. Or banking, or car sales, or any sales or any financial services.

[@Brandalf_The_Grey]

I find it astonishing that these very large companies that developed artificial intelligence voices that must have large legal departments are apparently completely unaware of the legal concept of “Name and Likeness”

[@YouzTube99]

@Brandalf_The_Grey If they are not aware, they're completely incompetent. What are the chances of that? Rather, they are fully aware and know that the people to whom they do this, e.g., Linnea and Paul, have limited legal resources and very unlikely to bring, let alone win, a lawsuit against them. Corporate lawyers are not guided by any kind of moral compass. Their goal is to prevent lawsuits and if they occur, win them. And if they don't, to limit any compensation.

[@Martell-XO]

"So sue me" is their response. (Steve Jobs immortal response to Xerox. Google it.)

[@SydneyBristow0788]

No, a human stole your voice and input it into the AI machine.

[@briley2177]

Actually, it sounds like a human being PURCHASED a recording of their voice, then asked a machine to mimic their voice, and used the machine’s impression of the actor to create a novel recording.

[@frankd9945]

​​@@briley2177No, they purchased the voice actor's time and under false pretenses stole their voice and input it into an AI machine and used it outside the purview of the stated of contract.

[@briley2177]

@@frankd9945 How do you “steal a voice?” If someone pays to take photos of you, then digitally cuts the photos up and recombines them into a collage (without telling you they intended to do so when they paid for your photos) have they “stolen” your likeness under false pretenses? No. They paid for your photos… not just your time (you weren’t just posing) and then used the photos that they purchased to create a novel thing. Similarly, a company can pay the actors to record the spoken words, not simply to perform them (their time), and then take that memorialization to create a novel thing (new words spoken in the same patterns but not actually spoken by the actors themselves). A collage of vibrations if you will. Your voice is nothing more than vibrations of air… there isn’t a mystical nature of “you” in a voice any more than taking a photo “steals the soul” of the photography subject.

[@JaySpangler]

@@briley2177 because they are reusing the voice so that they don’t have to rehire and pay the voice actor ever again. When somebody pays to take your photo, and then cuts it up and uses it in different ways, that’s not the same as cloning their voice image and using AI instead of the human for additional work in future. Pretty sure that’s what is meant by that.

[@olencone4005]

@@briley2177 In this particular instance, these two voice actors signed a contract to do some private non-commercial voice work that was not to be used beyond certain specific conditions. If the actors are correct, the company appears to have then ignored the conditions of the contract and used their voice work for public commercial work via an AI emulation of their voices derived from the contracted recordings. While their voices in-and-of themselves cannot be copyrighted, the recording of their voices can be, and in this case those recordings had very specific contractual limitations on their use. This sounds like either a copyright violation or a breach of contract issue.

[@P.90.603]

AI will replace human actors in the future.

[@peaceintheworld761]

They will be alcohol , drug and sex free 😂

[@iamtoothewalrus]

Let's hope so!

[@TheSteveBoyd]

AI will replace humans in the future, save the few who own the algorithms.

[@P.90.603]

@@TheSteveBoyd Ai eventually continue after humans are gone. It will probably meet aliens in a million years or so.

[@capoman1]

Bruce Willis I believe has already sold his likeness. So you could in the future see a young Bruce Willis or Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise etc.

[@missedinformation7068]

In 2012, I did a study on voice similarities. In the 20k person study I was matched with 3 people. When they played those 3 people's voices next to mine, I couldn't tell if it was me or someone else.

[@vitalsigns2679]

My dad used to talk to my girlfriends on the phone and fool them quite frequently.😅

[@redrick8900]

So what?

[@DigSamurai]

Unfortunately for them this is a losing battle. Voice actors are just the first because voice was the easiest to clone. Music and b-roll scenes are next. It's a losing battle because the AI tools can simply tweak the actor's voice different enough it's not the same and there's really not much actors can do about that. AI is driving the cost of production to zero and it's only a matter of when, not if that happens.

[@kerplunk9434]

Business always stealing from artists. AI can make visual art and audio art now. Corporations must be salivating.

[@makedredd299]

That would be a #GDPR personal data theft if those actors worked in Europe. 🇪🇺

[@ipawilzon]

so they are just now figuring this out?? the dumb part is that it's already possible to just create "new" voices out of mixing sampling from thousands.... so their particular voices wont be an issue anymore. maybe just come to the realization that their "profession" is phasing out... pivot, adapt, and find a new job. that's how it's always worked. every time humanity comes out with world changing tech, there will always be job loses / issues. has been this was for thousands of years (automobiles, computers, the internet, etc)... we wont stop innovation just because a lazy job got filled. if they didnt see this coming YEARS ago and prepare for this, then that seems like a personal problem imho... but this short period where people have their voices "stolen" wont be a thing within a few weeks due to the pace of ai progression. so i guess they should be glad they got their 5 mins of fame in during this super cringe podcast or whatever.

[@peterlongprong7521]

the PUBLIC does not understand the dangers here:

[@user-wt9it5zz2q]

I know and it is hilarious. Humans are not collectively all that bright. They will be spoon fed A.I. content that re-enforces their biases and fears, with no firewall in place to filter it out, technologically or mentally. It's gonna be hoot!

[@Belle-tn8qr]

Scarey as Hell! This feels very wrong and dangerous...*Is this really our future?😮

[@---qp4yp]

Artificial intelligence is needed for those who lack natural intelligence.

[@onlyyoucanstopevil9024]

Keep say that.

[@timb350]

This is why I cancelled my plans to pursue a career in voice acting. The industry no longer exists.

[@richdars2515]

This is the nefarious use of Siri Hey Google and Alexa

[@TheGoddessInUs]

Thank you ALL for this report. 🙏🏽

[@thenormalperson4186]

Man, this should lead to a lawsuit

[@iron___]

Ever since I learned about AI, I knew that it would be a net negative for society.

[@user-wt9it5zz2q]

Well, since humans have been found to be wholly incapable of handling even social media, without using it for chaos, manipulation and general shittiness, we might as well go neck deep into A.I. What could go wrong?🤣

[@Rnankn]

It only breaks the market, which was exploitation anyway.

[@jayjadotte1683]

AI is awesome, it’s the greatest breakthrough in technology since the internet. What it’s doing in entertainment and gets more publicity than what it’s doing sciences. AI has been able to find a whale alphabet. It’s going to lead to so many drugs that are going to be beneficial to humans maybe one that can finally cure cancer. I’m sorry for these artist, entertainers and everyone who will be displaced by the machine. But I’m hopeful AI can help us

[@onlyyoucanstopevil9024]

Ai find cancer more faster than normal doctor

[@12345jonny]

This reminds me of a movie called Looker.

[@meganann3876]

Black Mirror- ‘Joan is Awful’ episode 😳

[@herecomesnanna]

Scary. We need strong laws against this usurping people.

[@onlyyoucanstopevil9024]

Ai Is bad like deformed image . Why we need law for A.i?

[@brooklynnchick]

Yuck! This would feel so violating! People must be compensated if they have a quality or commodity that someone wants to use.

[@sheisleeaddams]

Very worrying indeed

[@timallison8560]

the question is never can you win your case in court, i'm positive this is a slam dunk for a win in court for these two people, but the larger question is can or will the court penalize the corporation enough - to the point where the business must go bankrupt for what they did.

[@ArtDocHound]

Read the contract!

[@scanmead]

AI still sounds creepy. They always blow the inflection or cadences.

[@dahnoied6893]

This is so stupid for these companies to do this. I bet it would be very easy for them to pay some voice actors, a decent sum, to use their voices and agree to prove it's their hired voices as needed. Or even use their own voices, family members, etc. Then they wouldn't be stealing or getting bad reputations.

[@bzzi]

ChatGPT's SKY is NOT Scarlet Johansson. Not at all.

[@Rnankn]

It so is intended to be almost identical

[@bzzi]

@@Rnankn If it was intended to sound like Scarlet’s voice, they failed miserably. Sky’s was more high pitched, more fluctuating, no deep undertones, like Scarlet’s. I believe it was most a PR move and hope they bring SKY’s voice back intact.

[@NikoKun]

​@@Rnankn Actually no it wasn't. They created Sky using a different actress, WELL before ever thinking about contacting or Scarlett Johansson. In fact, back when they introduced Sky, a lot of people thought it sounded more like Rashida Jones, and there are posts from back then, over half a year ago, which back that up. When they decided they wanted to have a voice option similar to the movie Her, they contacted Scarlett, because that was the obvious thing to do, and when she declined twice, they decided the next best option was to just apply a "flirty personality" to their best female voice option they already had. Scarlett Johansson does not own the concept of a flirty AI assistant.

[@davincidreams832]

Anyone else remember when this was introduced to the masses in tv show 24? And it seemed so mind blowing. Now its just a normal thing. Incredible example of just becauss you CAN do a thing doesnt mean you SHOULD do it. This is a huge can of worms

[@Syamhouse]

Robots with a Mississippi Accent ? I want one.

[@Darhan62]

The difference here from the Scarlett Johansson case is that "Sky" is *not* the voice Scarlett Johansson. If you want to successfully prosecute these cases, you have to first be sure that the AI voice is actually the voice of the actor who alleges their voice is being used without permission. And yeah, if this company took their voices without consent or compensation and is using them for commercial purposes then they definitely have a legal case. And doesn't a human voice have a unique "voice print" that can be measured? Can't actors use technology to analyze the voice to prove it's theirs, or not theirs? That seems like the way to win these cases in court, since otherwise it might just be a similar sounding voice. And with millions of people in the world, a lot of people will have voices that sound similar to other people's voices.

[@jimloth6091]

Science fiction predicted all of this, and where it leads...

[@SkepticalChris]

Without AI voice cloning tech, how else am I supposed to have Morgan freeman reading the Kama Sutra?

[@cgarv101]

[@trevorowens7387]

It could just as easily be a good impression

[@gingerbread_GB]

There may be smaller companies that try to scam voice actors, but to steal someone's likeliness or trademarks is hardly a new thing. Big companies can more than afford to pay professional voice actors to train their AI for commercial purposes. This is hardly an "AI" issue. Whole industries get uprooted as technology advances faster and faster. How many leatherworkers today are complainant about machines taking over their jobs? You can either adopt the technology or do something else.

[@user-lp5bl3qc7o]

Some of these singers voices don't even sound like their voices by the time they are run through all the electronics.

[@infinitylarg7587]

SDM-Sky Dance Music:ROMPASSO “ALTAI”💿

[@kikijuju4809]

Griffters who want money from AI because they know their Job is finnish, it will have more and more people like this

[@y.winton1633]

The implications of this are terrifying - we feared it, and it’s now here! World wars, chaos, disaster and the worst imaginable outcomes could potentially arise out of the nefarious use of this AI. It must be addressed-and immediately. We all agree, don’t we? Cloning an individual’s voice ought be ILLEGAL. Cloning an individual’s voice and likeness IS criminality - it’s identity theft. harsh financial consequences and prison time are the only acceptable consequences.

[@briley2177]

How? You can’t unring this bell. In truth, it’s not a single bell at all. This is simply the next rung, in a series of rungs, on the technological ladder. Just like the invention of gunpowder created the INEVITABILITY of the nuclear weapon… so too did the invention of photographic and audio recording, along with the invention of computing power, start humanity on the path that would lead to artificially created images and sounds that are indistinguishable from reality. There’s no stopping innovation after you begin inventing.

[@user-wt9it5zz2q]

Human desire for a shortcut will ALWAYS lead to disastrous outcomes. It is just that the stakes keep getting higher and higher. I think if we were all honest with ourselves, we know what is going to become of humankind. It is inevitable. We seek out chaos and destruction. Bless our hearts!

[@Smiley-fv8zi]

This problem isn't going away. Ai is here to stay.

[@MrPhoenix1800]

I get that they are trying to make money, but the reason why a lot of companies are switching to Ai is cause actors want ridiculous amounts of money and also singers. Athletes,singers,actors need to come back to the real world and understand that they don’t need to make millions of dollars to survive and live a good life.

[@josephsonora3787]

So instead of Bye Bye Byden installing a number of Snickers per bag police...how about an Ai overseer? Smh

[@cococonlin170]

America has no idea what "consent" means.

[@kirtjames1353]

Because of AI voice talent, their days are numbered. Stealing their voices is wrong. AI should be able to accomplish everything voice talent does without stealing.

[@terrylarry5149]

But there are good sides to it. AI translates languages in similar persons voice. Random: but adult hitler speech in English sounded pretty cool.

[@creativechef25]

Think this is bad, think about this. AI voices could be used for scammers to make calls appear as thought you are talking to a loved one or friend and the call can be treated like a ransom demand or something to similar or possibly worse. AI shouldn't be EVERYWHERE!!! There are areas in which it can be able to do "some" good, but it doesn't need to be everywhere. The inclusion of AI everywhere would begin with a couple of generations that don't know how to have common sense. If sci-fi movies have taught me anything, is that certain tech that is "too good to be true" usually ends in disaster.

[@user-wt9it5zz2q]

A.I. works well for watering crops economically, but I don't know how smart those systems actually are. Could the A.I. decide to kill the crops, while reporting to the human overlords that everything is running as designed? I would bet that someday we know the answer to that question.

[@cgarv101]

Voice spoofing has been going on for a few years now. Also never answer the phone with the "word" Yes. Try to never say the word Yes anymore to strangers. That has been taken to voice activated systems where your voice is used to approve transactions with the "Yes". Not simple and other info is needed, but it's been done successfully already. You're correct though. It's only going to get worse.

[@HmmmYeahRiiiiiight]

The Wachowskis warned us decades ago

[@gibbygoddamngibsonofficial]

Just wait til SkyNet goes online...

[@timbacchus]

I do know that most police have machines that voice fingerprint and can tell whether it truly is their voices.

[@NewsOnion]

World is changing. No personal things. Just work to reach the Bright Future that fits everyone. For the era when no one will be poor but enjoying. How to enjoy in a different way aling with the life for ever. No-more-deaths-era is approaching so don't mind such small possessions like my voice, my ID etc for the Bright deathless Future. ❤❤❤

[@user-wt9it5zz2q]

Humans strive for a cushy, pampered life of fun and frivolous adventure. This is the absolute opposite of what delivered humans to the top of the food chain. Humans are built to accomplish and strive and produce. Not that long ago in our past, if you didn't strive and accomplish, you didn't so much as eat. Only the old and wise, in a group, would be shared with. The young and able were forced to accomplish and strive...or die. We are getting further and further from what we are. Idle hands do the devil's work.

[@NewsOnion]

@@user-wt9it5zz2q yes and you Eurooeans want to earn without hard/smart work but to loot Asians by making UNO etc. We are creating awareness among Asians to open eyes and stop sending the profits to Europe or America but send the profits to Russia, China, Japan and Asian countries. You people are only greedy, look at the clown of Europe the PM Nitanyahu, what he is trying and what is your response ?

[@mkumarthephrophet8533]

Which President said this: "The only thing we have to fear is...fear itself." "Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery." "We must teach our children to resolve their conflicts with words, not weapons." "after I signed the pactandle aa um pack at lack act" or might have been "Pack-AnderI-An-Pack-At-Lacl-Act".

[@andio3i766]

Was this the president who build concentration camps for the japanense people who lived in the us?

[@mkumarthephrophet8533]

@@andio3i766 - I believed you missed the joke. And no that was Roosevelt.

[@sharonmassey2923]

The late polymath and futurist, Terence McKenna, said about AI in an interview 25 years ago, "If it doesn't have the ethics of Buddha, the human race may be down for the count." More specific to this clip, I think it's also worth noting that all this unethical, dishonest behavior originated with males, starting with misrepresenting well-known people in videos. I doubt that much, if anything, has changed regarding "the personnel" who are responsible for this.

[@danielequintini]

Calling it. AI software will allow you to “build your own voice” and people will just use whatever they want for the training. Making this near impossible to prosecute (think early days of internet piracy)

[@JohnDoe-sy6tt]

The future is now!

[@user-xr8lc7sn4h]

I just want them to clone Will Lyman voice, after that they can shut it down for all I care.

[@lindsaytoles2023]

Their body language says it all. They've been violated and deserve justice.

[@extrasolar213]

sounds like lovo didnt hear the complaint properly, probably busy listening to taylor swift and daydreaming about counterfeiting backstage passes. sounds like lovo believes they have covered their bases and these voices are all in the accusers heads. maybe they didnt get enough entertainment industry respect, or maybe they are trying to extort lovos compassion. lovos love of communication. maybe lovo is just misunderstood.

[@pawacoteng]

It sounds like (pun unintended) that VA are soon going to go extinct with an exception for a few niche areas. Anything voice related will probably soon die off and the market will narrow to just new content or live content for humans to do.

[@user-bf7bj5in3s]

maybe they could learn to code ?

[@marklchapman2785]

You want to complain !!! a dingo stole my baby 😳

[@adenansu]

The Congress from 2013. Go watch it.

[@gunnarmagrath374]

Pretty soon criminals who are actually caught admitting or confessing guilt on recorded calls, wires, etc... will be using the "AI VOICE" defense - " I NEVER SAID THAT - I'M BEING FRAMED!!! (mark my words!!!)

[@user-wt9it5zz2q]

trumpo beat you to that. He already did and said that.

[@johnnydoe3603]

You Think you are Using the AI. But you are actually Training the AI and you get Paid nothing. 🤣🤣

[@James_Doyle83]

Demons steal humans identity for years well before a.i

[@neonmarblerust]

Wow, people really have a lot of dumb things to say about this

[@8bit_paul]

It's inevitable. The sooner we adjust and pivot, the better. I've been in animation for 30 years, I expect my job will be changing drastically and I'm ready to adapt, no point tilting at windmills.

[@donaldharlan3981]

Sounds like they signed a bad deal. That's what happens when you make deals outside of the motion picture industry. That poor voice actor does not even realize that they will try to replace him and that he is in danger.

[@JaySpangler]

Voice cloning needs to have a completely different price point than regular voice actor work, otherwise everybody’s got one gig in them and then there will be no need to pay you ever again.

[@donaldharlan3981]

@@JaySpangler read the contract

[@JaySpangler]

@@donaldharlan3981 agreed. I believe they did. This couple is suing, but the problem is this is all new. Laws are either unwritten or ambiguous at best.

[@sozno4222]

Good

[@eldenringer6466]

And Congress pass protect your cooker legislation!! Vote maga out and demand dems act!

[@outermarker5801]

Certainly all over KZbin. AI narration is rife. Bet it's stolen voices.

[@gK-ih2ct]

Scary. Unethical

[@steevenhyde3505]

There is a Latin KZbinr that uses AI version of Robert Downey Jr in his videos as if the real Robert that owns the KZbin channel.

[@posthocprior]

The ad’s voiceover didn’t sound like the actor. It was much higher pitched.

[@dorientjewoller113]

Call it as it is: Identity theft.

[@redrick8900]

Not what it is.

[@eldenringer6466]

1 or 2 people will eventually own and profit from every one of us who will be victims and slaves to AI and greed.

[@MiguelJCintron]

I have a feeling this might not be totally bad news. Now voice actors can expand their reach 100 fold. Voice actors can now create their own voice models and go after TONS of jobs because they no longer have to put in all the hard work of reading everything. I believe this is the moment where smart voice actors will leave all other voice actors in the dust.

[@moderncontemplative]

Excellent point. People have a tendency to focus only on the negative externality of a given phenomenon. I’m looking at the positive aspects of voice cloning, fine-tuning, etc..

[@arizvisa]

could be, but it's unenforceable in a system where the cost for a bad actor to leverage said capability is cheaper then the cost it takes to stop them.

[@kt2816]

Time to get a real job

[@BoJuckson]

I still have gotten nothing from these guys, but they sure do go out of their way every day and tease me as if they intend to give me something , and then call in manipulating me!!! idiots

[@coloryvr]

...so.... If my voice resembles a celebrity, am I allowed to publish singing and readings or train an AI? Anyway: These will become difficult times for artists, musicians, speakers, code writers and translators. The big AI companies should be obliged to finance us a basic income!

[@olencone4005]

Legally, a voice in-and-of itself cannot be copyrighted (in the US at least -- not sure about elsewhere)... but the recording used as a sample for the AI can be, and if the company using that recording as a trainer for their AI hasn't paid the voice actor and received permission and/or a contract to use that recording then they should be found in violation of copyright law. The problem is... they're not, companies are getting away with it left and right.

[@billleeee]

There is a difference between you using AI to extend the reach of your voiceover work and someone else using your voice without compensation. There are impressionists who do voices of famous people in ads with their consent (and appropriate compensation), which again, should be fine. It all comes down to knowledge and compensation before hand as opposed to unauthorized use with no compensation.

[@onlyyoucanstopevil9024]

I am only use random people in internet soo

[@palmstring1]

Not everyone enjoys this disturbing trend.

[@nicholasmaude6906]

I'm not surprised at all that Scarlet Johansson pitched a fit when she found out recently that an AI was using a voice so similar to her own that close friends of her thought that that it was her voice.

[@Halsu]

It is noteworthy though, that it was NOT her voice. It was a voice from another actress that just sounds similar.

[@nicholasmaude6906]

@@Halsu While it's true it wasn't her voice it apparently was so similar as to be indistinguishable.

[@Halsu]

@@nicholasmaude6906 The actress who submitted the voice sample has released a statement that it was her natural voice, and that this is the first time anyone has told her she sounds like Johansen. I've seen "Her" (was a pretty good movie, BTW), and i have heard the OpenAI voice - but I haven't done a real comparison. Might be interesting to do that, actually. Edit: I listened to "Her" trailer, as well as the OpenAi ChatGPT4o announcement. To me, there are similarities (obviously both are young female voices, slightly flirtatious etc.). Johansen's voice on the film is softer, more breathy, more intimate, while OpenAI voice is more perky. They are in the same ballpark, but i wouldn't personally call them "indistinguishable".

[@nicholasmaude6906]

@@Halsu I'm aware that it wasn't Scarlett Johansson's voice just pointing out that their two voices were very similar.

[@F1Al0ns0sp33d]

Man you’ll need a real skill set

[@daledevernon56]

Resistance is futile.

[@Houston77005]

I guess all of the Elvis and Trump impersonators must be stopped or jailed, right?

[@bobdavis4848]

Those are comedians; that's the difference. Also, people know those comedians are not the real thing.

[@luislourenco6720]

😂😂😂😂, people like you stole my life.

[@AL-ym2hv]

I'm not sure you "own" how you sound, as long as no one is misrepresenting the voice as you. Are celebrity impersonators thieves?

[@LincolnHawk87]

Boycott LOVO

[@CrackheadMagician911]

They need to get a real job!

[@tcphoto]

As a freelance photographer with thirty years of experience, this is infuriating. My career is based on the fees for the actual use, licensing agreements and distribution of my images.

[@user-nu5bv6xy3f]

😢

[@LincolnHawk87]

If we don’t boycott companies like LOVO that do this then we advocate for it, we support it, and we accept it. It’s cut and dry like that and we only have ourselves to blame. We make the decisions and too many people are lazy about that fact so the companies will pick up our slack and go ahead with it

[@lf3361]

Too many people don't care

[@ZAHIRABENCHOHRA]

السلام عليكم الله يهديكم لدين الاسلام و جمعة مباركة للجميع

[@briley2177]

It’s literally not your voice if it didn’t come from your body. It’s akin to somebody making a drawing that looks like you, that drawing isn’t “your face,” it’s a rendering of your face… so too are these NOT “their voices,” but rather these are auditory renderings - likenesses - of their voices. Does a person own the angles that make the shape of their face such that nobody is allowed to draw it? Does a person own the pitch and vibrato of their voice such that nobody is allowed to recreate it?

[@williamelewis464]

Know what's funny, these folks think their voices are unique, they are not

[@ikematthews6866]

Exactly, they have the most generic voice on the planet and even then you can kind of tell it’s ai.

[@briley2177]

@@ikematthews6866 Ironically, the “generic-ness” is the WHOLE POINT. The voice is styled to appeal to most ears, and offend the fewest ears, possible. That way the marketing appeals to the most people possible.

[@hgfku-tn6hb]

That's their voices and they have right over them

[@ikematthews6866]

@@briley2177 then what’s issue exactly? If we can’t tell it’s specifically this guy then who cares

[@briley2177]

@@ikematthews6866 Well, he does. 1) because it sounds like him and it feels like a personal invasion to hear yourself say things you don’t remember saying. And 2) because he has made a career out of using his voice as a tool and now other people can recreate the tool that he believed was unique (thus making him less valuable in a monetary sense).

[@Vantom_a238]

I'm sorry their is a clear distinction between their voice and ai. Their voice is pretty lame. Also they should have looked at their contract.

[@philiplacey5430]

So you've seen the contract? Please tell us all about it. And how do I know you're human?

[@Vantom_a238]

@@philiplacey5430 go live in your own paranoid delusional world.