Actors specializing in dubbing voices in film and television, and audiobook readers, around the world have begun to confront artificial intelligence that threatens their future careers, and they see it as a “huge beast” capable of creating digital voices that are identical to human voices.
The organization warns against the “random and unregulated” use of artificial intelligence, which could lead to the elimination of “the artistic heritage of creativity (…) that machines cannot produce.”
In recent years, the dubbing industry has not been too concerned about the spread of “Text to Speech” technology, a technology that makes it possible to convert written text into speech from a human voice with automatic utterance, and is a method used in voice assistant services such as “Siri” and Alexa.
But the AI has added “machine learning” that allows the software to compare an audio sample against millions of other samples.
AI-powered platforms such as revoicer.com offer a wide range of voice services for a monthly fee of $27, which is a fraction of what professionals charge in this field.
On its website, the platform says the service “is not intended to replace human voices,” but does offer a cost-effective alternative.
“This new technology is fueled by the voices we have provided over the years,” explains the president of the Mexican Association of Commercial Voice-Over Professionals.
“We are talking about the human right to use voice and interpretation without consent,” she added.
These technology companies continue to hire translators, but they know that their services contribute to feeding a huge audio archive.
These voice artists are calling for the adoption of laws to prevent the use of their voices without their consent, and the imposition of “human labor quotas,” explains Colombian dubber Daniel Soler de la Prada, who represented the “United Voices Organization” at the United Nations and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
In Mexico, one of the most important countries in the field of dubbing in Latin America, a bill has also been introduced that aims to regulate this technology.
In Argentina, there is a law that restricts dubbing to people who specialize in the field, which means excluding dubbers, according to Fernando Costa, who is fighting with the Dubbing Artists Union, against the slogan of digital audio service companies, “Stop using dubbers, save money.”
Does the machine control humanity?
Looking at the issue from a positive side, artificial intelligence opens up endless possibilities. In the future, for example, the real voice of actor Will Smith can be dubbed into several languages, with a professional pronunciation similar to the performance of professional voice actors, according to the narrator and Mexican dubber Mario Filho.
“We are fighting against a huge monster,” says Filho, who took over the Spanish voice for a role presented by Will Smith, and lent his voice to famous characters in major films.
He points to the possibility of concluding agreements that preserve the gains aspired by the public and preserve jobs, “provided that we receive fair salaries,” stressing the “lack of protection” in this independent profession.
