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The Future. SAG-AFTRA approved a deal with AI startup Narrativ that will allow union actors to license their voices to commercial projects in an ethical way. Not every actor will be comfortable with their voice being cloned for gigs (they’ll stick with the recording booth), but at least this ensures that they’re protected if AI is used. It may even open up some crucial lines of passive revenue for actors when they’re busy pursuing passion projects elsewhere.
Talent cloning
Professional actors can now freelance their voices for AI-generated work.
- Narrativ’s online marketplace allows advertisers to create audio spots using AI tools, such as AI-generated voices.
- Per the new deal, all 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA can opt to license their voices to the marketplace’s database and list their preferences for its use.
- Actors are empowered to approve their voices’ use on a project-by-project basis, including knowing what product or service they’re promoting and approving the commercial script.
- Members will also have the ability to negotiate fees per project (which must be at least the minimum payment per the union’s commercials contract), and each job will include contributions to an actor’s pension and health benefits.
Just over a year ago, the threat of AI became one of the defining issues that led to the actor’s strike. As the union aims to ensure informed consent and proper compensation for its members when the tech is used, deals like Narrativ chart a path for how human creativity and AI can coexist. SAG-AFTRA recently struck a similar deal with Replica Studios, which is focused on the video game industry.
It looks like talent will soon be widely accessible via a drop-down menu.
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