Voice Actor Worried About AI Threats To The Dubbing Industry

JAKARTA Voters in Europe, such as Boris Rehlinger, known as voice actors Ben Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, and Puss in Boots in the French version, are fighting for their professional continuity amid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Rehlinger, part of France's TouchePasMaVF initiative, expressed concern even though his voice had not been replaced by AI. "I feel threatened," Rehlinger was quoted as saying by VOI from Reuters.

The rise of global streaming platforms such as Netflix, which relies on dubbing for popular series such as Squid Game and Lupin, is increasing demand for voice actors. According to GWI, 43% of viewers in Germany, France, Italy, and the UK prefer duplicated content over subtitles.

The clubbing market is estimated to reach 4.3 billion US dollars by 2025 and 7.6 billion US dollars by 2033, according to Business Research Insights. However, increasingly sophisticated and cost-effective AI technologies threaten the work of voice actors, encouraging associations in Europe to ask the European Union to tighten regulations to protect the quality, work, and intellectual property rights of artists.

AI Experiments In Industry

Several studios are starting to experiment with AI. Netflix, for example, has tested a generative AI to sync the actor's lip movements with a DUbbing dialogue, although it still involves local actors for voice charging. SAG-AFTRA's new contract in the US allows the use of AI for clubbing provided actors get paid. However, this trial sparked concern among actors.

In Germany, 12 well-known voice actors went viral on TikTok with the campaign 'Let's protect the intelligence of Trenchic, non-artificant,' who got 8.7 million viewers. Petitions from the VDS association, which demands explicit approval for voice use in AI training and transparent labeling for AI content, have garnered more than 75,500 signatures.

Criticism of AI Quality

The AI experiment is not always successful. The Polish series Murdereses on the Viaplay platform, which uses a combination of human and AI voices from Deep Dub startups, drew criticism for its monotonous dialogue, until it was finally removed. Vanda Rapti of Viaplay said they would focus on subtitles and limit dubbing for certain content due to the expensive traditional dubbing costs in Germany.

Eberhard Weckerle, studio director of Neue Tonfilm Munich, hopes that AI and human clubbing can coexist. However, he is concerned that if AI is used only to cut costs, quality will decline. Meanwhile, Stefan Sporn of Audio Innovation Lab, which uses AI to duplicate Black Dog films from Chinese to German, believes that humans are still needed for emotions and nuances of language, even in smaller amounts. Startups such as Flawless AI also claim to use AI ethically by involving local actors to synchronize lip movements.

Regulatory Claims

Actors are calling for stricter regulations. "We need legislation, such as highway codes after the car's emergence," Rehlinger said. Associations like VDS and United Voice Artists, representing more than 20,000 global voice actors, urged protection against the use of their voices without permits and fair compensation. Without intellectual property protection, actors likewavatore, Final Voters Fantasy VII Remake, fear the art innovation will be hampered due to fear of work theft.

However, according to GWI, nearly half of viewers have no objection to AI-generated content, while 25% are a little less fond of it, and only 3% are very fond of it. With great interest from producers and studios, the future of the clubbing industry seems to be continuing to grapple between technological innovation and the preservation of human art.