What is voice cloning and how will it impact the film industry?

Voice cloning is a technology that creates digitally-generated voices resembling real human voices, using artificial intelligence. The basics of this technology are not new, as simpler versions have been used in route planning applications or older text-to-speech solutions. With advancements and additional processing methods, the sound quality has significantly improved.

What are the uses of voice cloning?

In the film industry, there are already examples of this technology being used. In the Boba Fett and Mandalorian series, the young Skywalker’s voice is not provided by Mark Hamil, but rather by an artificial intelligence trained on his younger voice samples. The same is true for Darth Vader’s voice. James Earl Jones has retired, so it was a natural choice for the studio to continue with this solution.

Currently, this technology is still in the testing phase, but the possibilities are limitless. Deceased actors or singers could be brought back to life, and actors could speak in a foreign language with a perfect local accent. Missing or poor-quality audio recordings could be replaced. So, this technology is truly magical. Let's take a closer look at the advantages of using it.

Advantages:

Cost savings: Although this procedure is still expensive, it will become cheaper over time. Voice cloning makes dubbing actors unnecessary, saving studios significant amounts of money in voice acting fees.

Consistency: Voice cloning allows the same voice actor to be used for different projects, even in different languages.

Improved performance: With voice cloning, filmmakers can modify the audio according to their own needs during post-production, improving overall performance.

Voice cloning can provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to speak again.

Disadvantages:

Devaluation of foreign language voice actors' work.

Sound quality: Although voice cloning has improved in recent years, it still lacks the natural expression, nuance, and emotion that only human actors can create.

Ethical concerns: The use of voice cloning raises questions about whether digital copies can be made without the consent of real people. It also raises data protection concerns, as AI systems learn to mimic anyone's voice and mannerisms, even without their knowledge.

In summary, the impact of voice cloning on the film industry is complex and multifaceted. Although it offers cost savings and improved performance, it also raises ethical and artistic concerns that need to be addressed. Currently, companies offering this technology are self-regulating. Therefore, good quality voice cloning can only be achieved for a higher amount and only if the original voice owner gives written permission. However, this will not last forever, and eventually, this technology will become available in the cheaper segment without special permission. In this case, we violate copyright, performer, and privacy protection rights by using the technology without permission. Users need to be made aware that they are breaking the law, and those whose voices are misused should pursue mass litigation and aggressive attacks to protect their interests. It is clear that this is impossible, so it would be advisable to create stricter and more modern laws at the state level.