August 18th 2023.
The concept of using AI to keep dead actors alive through voice acting is a highly contentious issue. Hi-Rez Studios, the developers of Smite and Paladins, had been accused of including a clause in their contracts that would allow them to clone the voices of their actors, even after they had passed away.
The accusations came from voice actor Henry Schrader, who argued that despite the clause, the contract had nothing to do with AI protection and that actors couldn't even read the contract without signing a non-disclosure agreement. He stated that the company was silencing people who were already against them.
Stewart Chisam, the president of Hi-Rez Studios, directly replied to Schrader’s claims, sharing part of the contract which stated that the company would not simulate the actor’s voice or likeness. However, he then shared the full rider of the contract, which mentioned that Hi-Rez could use replicas of their voices in case the actor was unable to perform due to death or incapacity.
Chisam later agreed that it would be wrong to use a human actor’s voice for AI work without their permission and that the rider has been updated to remove the part about using AI voices for actors who are unavailable to record new lines.
Despite Chisam's defences, his statements have attracted a lot of anger from voice actors, both those who have worked with Hi-Rez and those who haven't. The rider still states that the company can use artificial intelligence techniques to edit recordings or create new ones.
It's important to note that Hi-Rez Studios have no intention of using a human actor's voice for AI work without their permission. That said, the concept of using AI to keep dead actors alive is still a highly contentious issue.
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