SAG-AFTRA Signs Agreement for AI Voice Usage

January 9, 2024 @ 11:13 AM

Reproduction Studios, an expert system voice innovation business, and SAG-AFTRA introduced Tuesday the intro of a groundbreaking AI voice agreement throughout an occasion at CES.

The brand-new agreement “paves the way for professional voice over artists to safely explore new employment opportunities for their digital voice replicas with industry-leading protections tailored to AI technology, allowing AAA video game studios and other companies working with Replica to access top SAG-AFTRA talent,” according to the main launch.

The agreement in between Reproduction, referred to as “the leading AI voice company” and the union will, according to the launch, “enable Replica to engage SAG-AFTRA members under a fair, ethical agreement to safely create and license a digital replica of their voice. Licensed voices can be used in video game development and other interactive media projects from pre-production to final release.”

It must be kept in mind that the agreement was authorized by influenced participants of the union’s voiceover entertainer area and the agreement for the offer is referred to as “an important step towards the ethical use of AI voices in creative projects by game developers, and sets the basis for fair and equitable employment of voice actors as they explore the new revenue opportunities provided by AI.” The agreement will certainly develop minimum conditions and guarantees performer authorization and arrangement for use their “digital voice double” and calls for that the entertainers have the chance to pull out of their voice dual’s proceeded usage in brand-new jobs. That appears excellent.

“Artificial intelligence has dominated the headlines, and for most performers, the best protection against the unauthorized digital simulation of their voice, likeness and/or performance is a SAG-AFTRA contract. We are so happy to partner with Replica Studios, because this is a great example of AI being done right,” SAG-AFTRA head of state Fran Drescher stated in a main declaration.

“Recent developments in AI technology have underscored the importance of protecting the rights of voice talent, particularly as game studios explore more efficient ways to create their games,” stated SAG-AFTRA National Exec Supervisor and Principal Arbitrator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in a main declaration. “With this agreement, we have achieved fully informed consent and fair compensation when it comes to the use of our members’ voices and performances. We are proud to work with Replica in leading the way to make it easy for these companies to access SAG-AFTRA’s world-renowned talent in an ethical manner that ensures consent and fair compensation for their contributions. This agreement also paves the way for other companies to follow their lead.”

“Replica is proud to partner with SAG-AFTRA to introduce an ethical approach to the emerging use of generative AI. We are excited by the new opportunities this opens up for world-leading AAA studios who can now access the benefits of Replica’s AI voice technology while knowing that talent is recognized and compensated fairly for the use of their likeness,” stated Shreyas Nivas, Chief Executive Officer of Reproduction Studios, in a main declaration. “Our voice actor agreements ensure that game developers using our platform are only accessing licensed talent who have given permission for their voice to be used as a training data set, as opposed to the wild west of AI platforms using unethical data-scraping methods to replicate and synthesize voices without permission.”

This offer adheres to a couple of months after the SAG-AFTRA strike was effectively settled. Yet among the sticking factors for the strike– and the simultaneous WGA strike– engaged stars’ similarities and using A.I.