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Japanese Voice Actors Form Group Against Unauthorized Use of Generative AI

A number of Japanese voice actors formed a group called "No More Mudan Seisei AI" (No More Unauthorized Generative AI), and launched the group's official social media accounts on Tuesday. The group's YouTube channel posted a "Part 0" video featuring voice actor Ryūsei Nakao (Freeza in Dragon Ball Z series, Baikinman in Soreike! Anpanman series and films).

In the 20-second video, Nakao said that he was surprised that his voice was being sold without his permission, and added that his voice is his livelihood and his life. He concluded the video by asking people to listen to the voice actors' thoughts about the unauthorized use of generative AI. 25 other voice actors including Kōichi Yamadera, Yūki Kaji, Daisuke Namikawa, Jun Fukuyama, and Romi Park then appeal for the cause by uttering the group's name in unison.

Talent management agency Aoni Production and AI voice platform CoeFont announced on October 7 a new partnership which uses vocal data from 10 voice actors, including Masako Nozawa and Banjō Ginga, to create AI-replicated voices for use in virtual assistants (such as Alexa and Google Assistant), medical devices, robots, and voice-assisted navigation. The AI-replicated voices will be available in multiple languages, beginning with English and Chinese. The project acknowledges the potential threat to performers' rights and livelihoods posed by the use of generative AI, and promises that it will not use the voice training date for performances in animation, dubs, or similar works.

Kaji started a campaign through the crowdfunding service Campfire to fund his Soyogi Fractal project in April. The project would offer creators the means to use Kaji's voice to create new and interesting stories and songs, while also helping to prevent the illicit use of Kaji's voice. The crowdfunding campaign began on April 11 and ran until May 31 on Campfire. The initial goal was 10 million yen (about US$66,900), but the campaign raised over three times as much from 907 backers.

Sources: NO MORE Mudan Seisei AI group's YouTube channel, Anime! Anime! (八羽汰 わちは)