For years, the number of applications and programmes to generate artificial voices has been increasing and we inevitably can no longer avoid the topic of "artificial intelligence (AI)". In the world of voiceover, the topic is also being closely observed and discussed.
I also think that the topic should be scrutinised more closely and critically, because, after all, much more than our professional existence is at stake. There are ethical, aswell as moral issues and it is about data protection, copyrights and above all about our personal voice, i.e. our biometric data!
Our human advantage clearly lies in the fact that we have feelings, emotions, text- and situation-understanding, and that we can recognise and transport what software and a computer, consisting of 0s and 1s as we know them to date, never will. Customers will thus definitely get noticeable added value with us humans.
Can a computer or synthesised voice replace us? In certain areas this is quite possible, yes, and is already the case! Do clients recognise the difference? Certainly not all of them, and in certain areas it will take some time before they notice it. But until they do, it is very important to show why voice actors are always the better choice over computers and why it is not OK to do anything with our voices!
Imagine your voice being used to convey misinformation! Or even worse, if your synthesised voice starts a war. You think that can't happen?! Then look what happened one year ago when a fake Vitali Klitschko spoke to Berlin's Mayor Giffey using deepfake! Or imagine that your voice could continue to be used beyond your death, without your consent. Morally OK? Certainly not!
For these reasons, it is essential that we take a critical look at this. It is imperative that legal foundations are created to determine what can and cannot be done with our votes. That is why politicians must finally listen and act!
However, laws alone are not enough. Above all, the customers (from the recording studios to the end customers) must understand that this is about much more than just "the voice"!
I, myself, will not give a green light for myself and my voice for the time being when it comes to the topic of AI, as well as the training to create artificial voices (TTS), as long as there are no clear guidelines and protection.
If you have the same opinion and want to support our cause, you can do the following:
- Click here to read the manifesto: 🇩🇪 DE | 🇮🇹 IT | 🇫🇷 FR | 🇬🇧 EN
- Create awareness of the issue in your environment
- Share our cause on social media
- Use hashtags such as: #artistiqueintelligence #artisticintelligence #künstlerischeintelligenz #madebyhumans #dontstealourvoices #regulateAI
- Follow the union VPS on LinkedIn and Facebook
- Follow the organisation UVA - United Voice Artists on LinkedIn and Instagram
Many thanks and best regards 🫶🏻
