In 1839, Longfellow, the American Poet, wrote the human voice is the “organ of the soul”.
According to Lane Cove local and President of the Australian Association of Voice Actors (AAVA) Simon Kennedy, our voice is part of our identity, and the impact Generative AI is having on voice actors cannot be understated. He recently made this point at a Senate Select Hearing for the Inquiry into the Adoption of AI in Parliament House.
“Social Media giants have proven, self-regulation does not lead to ethical practice. Right now we have Voice Actors being replaced by digital clones of themselves, with zero compensation. Imagine a world where your employer could copy you and your skill-set for no payment and then sack you. That’s why our industry is facing right now”, Kennedy explained.
“The idea that Australian citizens would need lawful protections over their own voice, image, or likeness would have seemed unnecessary 200 years ago, but thanks to Generative AI, realistic digital clones of people, saying things they didn’t consent to, is now a reality” he explained to Senators Tony Sheldon (Labor) David Shoebridge (Greens)
According to Kennedy, some major TV and Radio Networks, Audiobook Publishers, Animations, Film and TV Productions are currently dangling the work Voice Actors need to pay rent, feed their families and prepare for retirement, as bait.
“When you use take-it-or-leave-it to coerce someone into giving “consent” to create their digital replacements. Is that really consent? As an industry we are trying to resist – but the pushback is constant and at times aggressive”.
Appearing at Parliament House at a Senate Select Hearing into the Adoption of AI, Kennedy outlined the fact that while some in the industry are using strong-arm tactics, others simply don’t ask at all.
“Some clients are using previously signed contracts that pre-date Generative AI as permission to train Language Models and create Digital Voice Clones – and whilst there are no laws that explicitly prevent it, it’s a David and Goliath battle”.
The growth of AI voice-over tools available to the General public is also of great concern to AAVA.
“Some people think it’s fun to simply trawl the internet for a voice they like, or use someone they know and clone it, and then make it say whatever they want. Without asking for permission, and not considering that they are stealing someone’s identity”
In a submission to the Senate Inquiry AAVA has called for transparency of AI training data to make it easier to know if your voice has been used to create a clone, Labelling of AI created content so the public know what they are hearing is not real, but above all Kennedy says that protection of someone’s voice, image, and likeness is vital.
“This is a moral right that all Australian’s deserve, not just our members. Voice actors make a living from their voices and need that protection, but we all deserve a moral right to sovereignty over our likeness, our voice, and our image”.
The great writer Victor Hugo once wrote “There is nothing so powerful, as an idea whose time has come.” Kennedy and AAVA believes the time has come for legislative guardrails for AI that address consent, transparency, labelling, and a Moral Right that can never be transferred – to protect his industry and all Australians.
The Senate Committee is aiming to report to the Parliament by 19th September 2024.
Last year Simon won the award for Outstanding Body of Work – International – Best Voice Over at the SOVAS INC. Voice Arts Awards in the United States.
He was one of only five people nominated from across the world. Which is an amazing honour in itself.
Simon has also written a book called 9/11 and the Art of Happiness. It’s an amazing insight into survival and regrowth following the devastating death of his mum on 9/11 . How do you forgive anyone who commits a random act of deadly violence against a family member? How do you learn to be happy again? Simon writes about resilience, success, happiness, and the art of letting go of bitterness and hatred. Read about his book here.
You can see Simon at The Alcott on Thursday 19th September 2024 at their comedy night – book here. Simon has been featured on The Project, Studio 10, The Morning Show, Sunrise, Today. He has appeared on The Comedy Channel and has been heard on Nova, Triple M, and ABC Radio.
