Japan’s top voice actors band together to fight against their voices being used to train AI without permission 

A group of 26 Japanese voice actors have formed a group against the unauthorized use of generative AI. The group, No More Unauthorized Generative AI (“No More Mudan Seisei AI”), has drawn attention to the issue of AI voice models that mimic certain actors but have been trained and distributed without the actors’ or copyright holders’ permission. 

The No More Unauthorized Generative AI campaign launched on October 21, but prior to that, a short video released on YouTube on October 15 drew attention to the campaign, amassing over 87,000 views. In the video, veteran actor Ryuusei Nakao explains that “My voice was being sold without my permission. I was shocked. Our voices are the tools of our trade, our lives.” Nakao’s seven decades in the industry include voicing Frieza in Dragon Ball and Mayuri Kurotsuchi in Bleach.  

The group is not against the use of generative AI, recognizing in the statement on their official website that “New technology can bring great benefits to humankind.” Instead, they call for recognition of the issues posed by generative AI being trained on data without permission, as well as safe-guarding measures against such unauthorized use. “We would like to consider ways of using this technology together.” 

In the group’s second YouTube video posted on October 21, six actors gave their opinions on generative AI voices. Opinions raised include concerns about people being unable to recognize if a voice is the actual actor or AI, the importance of a human’s emotions and soul in acting performances, as well as thoughts on positive ways the technology can be used (such as to preserve the voice of an actor who has passed away).  

“I have no issue with individuals using this technology for fun… that’s fine by me. However, I think it is problematic when this (AI generated content) is posted publicly on the internet, like on social media, and released out into the world, even if no money is made from it.” stated narrator and voice actor Koichi Yamadera, whose long resume includes Spike from Cowboy Bebop and Shun Akiyama from Like a Dragon. “From here on out, we need to find a positive way to coexist alongside generative AI.” added Toshihiko Seki, known as the voice of Rau Le Creuset in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Iruka Umino in Naruto, among others. 

So far, the Japan Audio Producers’ Association and the Japan Actors Union have pledged their support for the project, with more organizations expected to support the cause in the future. The No More Unauthorized Generative AI campaign plans to keep spreading their message through their YouTube channel as well as social media platforms like X and TikTok. 

In related news, actors Masako Nozawa and Banjo Ginga have allowed their voices to be used in a multi-language AI voice generation project.