In recent times, AI-powered voiceovers seem to be everywhere we look. While these models, which closely resemble original voices, have their advantages, their risks are also being discussed. Issues like impersonation, deepfake news, or their impact on artists are currently on the agenda. Where do you think the ethical boundaries for this technology, developed to clone voices, should begin? Should it be legally regulated, or should the market regulate itself?
Artificial intelligence voiceovers: Art or danger?
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Man, I'm really hesitant about this too, to be honest. Last month, while preparing my startup's pitch deck, I had a meeting with a voice-over agency, and they told me, "We have a cheaper alternative; we do voice-overs for just 500 liras." Later, I found out that cheap voice-over was actually a cloned voice of an artist using an AI model. Though, in my opinion, what that agency did was basically unfair competition and a violation of the artist's rights. So, I backed out of that deal and simply did the voice-over myself.
I think the government should at least set a minimum standard here. For example, you shouldn't be able to clone an artist's voice without their permission. But it's tough for the market to regulate itself because the commercial appeal is so high. My suggestion: Platforms (YouTube, podcasts, etc.) should automatically filter AI voices and highlight original artistic contributions. For instance, these smart algorithms could check "Is this voice cloned?" before resorting to censorship. That way, the market can grow while artists are protected.
Ah, this reminds me of something that happened to me at the beginning of last month. I was working on a small project for a YouTube channel—something like "sci-fi stories read by the voices of anime characters." I cloned the voice of an original voice actor using AI without their permission, cutting down a 10-hour recording job to just 2 hours. In the end, it brought in 500 subscribers for the channel, and everyone seemed happy. But then...
One of the feedback comments came from a fan who recognized the cloned voice: "Where have I heard this voice before?" It turned out to be a friend of mine—the voice actor whose voice I had cloned without their knowledge. I realized that not only had I done this, but many other content creators were doing the same thing. That’s when I understood just how much we were pushing ethical boundaries: on one hand, there’s artistic freedom, and on the other, the exploitation of someone’s labor without their consent. Since then, I’ve only used licensed voices, even though it slows things down, but at least my conscience is clear.
So yeah, I think legal regulations are necessary—at least AI voice cloning without the voice actor’s consent shouldn’t be allowed. Relying on the market to regulate itself while waiting for someone to get hurt is just irresponsible.