AI can do a lot of things. But maybe this isn’t something many people would like, especially those working in the entertainment industry.
(Photo : Michal Czyz)
According to a recent report by Technology Review, more and more startups are using AI to provide voice acting services for video games, corporate videos, and digital assistants. And apparently, the AI voice actors are starting to sound more “human-like” by the day. Here is a sample, and it sounds very, very human-like:
One of these startups is WellSaid Labs, a company from the Allen Institute of Artificial Intelligence, a non-profit organization. They’re the newest in a wave of businesses utilizing deep-learning technology to create synthesized voices.
Back in the day, artificial voices sounded so robotic and fake. These voices had a bit of a sub-par reputation because they were mostly used in scams and prank calls. But now, technology has improved enough that AI voice acting can be more cost-effective than hiring a human actor because they tend to be cheap, scalable, and offer the option to alter scripts in real-time.
This is one of much recent news of artificial intelligence partaking in artistic endeavors. For instance, there were reports of an AI creating a video game concept from scratch, which got people talking about the potential of machine learning’s usage in other creative industries.
Read also: The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in Our Day to Day Lives
AI Voice Acting Getting Human Actors Up in Arms
Of course, the advent of companies using AI voice actors got professional human ones concerned.
A recent case involving this conflict is with voice actress Bev Standing, who worked for the social media platform TikTok. In a report by VICE, Standing is apparently suing TikTok for replacing her voice with a synthesized one for use in the company’s text-to-speech feature, all without her consent. And it’s not just a mere replacement: TikTok actually replicated Standing’s voice artificially, which is the root of the issue.
Standing isn’t alone, too. Susan Bennett, the woman, widely known for being the original voice of Apple’s digital assistant Siri, was allegedly not paid by the tech giant when they replicated her voice from a recording she made for a different company.
Will AI Voice Actors Replace Humans?
There’s a lot of chatter in popular media and real-life about robots taking human jobs. Most of it is bogus. But perhaps this specific situation with voice actors is the closest to becoming a reality.
Video game voice actors are among those who have raised concerns, and they’re coming from a legitimate standpoint. That’s because it’s already happening, albeit in the game modding community. Input Mag reported earlier this year of a mod for the game “The Witcher 3,” which used AI trained on the performance of Doug Cockle as the titular character Geralt of Rivia to deliver new voice lines not originally present in the game.
It still remains to be seen whether the future will see artificial intelligence take voice acting jobs in video games. But if it does happen, then you can expect widespread protests within the industry.
Related: Artificial Intelligence ‘Creates’ Its Own PLAYABLE Version of ‘GTA 5’, And It Is FREAKY
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Written by RJ Pierce
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