The future of synchronized human voices is at stake

German voice actors face an existential threat as streaming platforms such as Netflix include clauses in their contracts allowing them to use recorded voices for training artificial intelligence systems. The president of the German Voice Actors Association, Anna-Sophia Lumpe, warns against signing such agreements, arguing that these clauses enable companies to train AI models using human voices, systems that could eventually compete with professionals in the field. The core issue goes beyond mere mimicry of human speech. According to Lumpe, the true value lies not in the tone itself, but in the nuanced delivery, the individual way pauses are placed, emotions conveyed, and irony expressed. This is the craft that professionals bring to their work, the “gold” they produce through their voices. Now, this skill is being targeted for replication by AI systems. Lumpe emphasizes that the essence of the profession involves deep, personal emotions. She explains that voice actors enhance their work by living, feeling, loving, hating, grieving, and suffering, ideally channeling these experiences into their performances. The voice, she says, is like a puppet: “It doesn’t do anything on its own. What matters is the hand inside the puppet.” Companies understand that directly copying a voice can lead to legal issues. However, the situation becomes legally murky when voices are used for training AI without clear evidence of duplication. Lumpe criticizes this approach, stating that if the victim cannot prove the misuse, it effectively did not happen. AI training clauses remain present in Netflix contracts, and there have been no discussions about changing them. Yet the problem extends far beyond Netflix. A Google representative confirmed that YouTube content is generally used for AI training. The association provides members with a clause excluding AI usage, which non-American companies are usually willing to include in their contracts. U.S.-based firms, however, typically refuse, according to Lumpe. This, she argues, means they continue to train AI models using human voices. Many well-known voice actors have refused to collaborate with Netflix as a result. Stars like Jason Momoa, Jennifer Lopez, and Russell Crowe will therefore sound different in recent productions. For Lumpe, the debate over human voices is a fundamental question. After all, only humans can infuse their voices with life. While AI produces something that seems “good enough,” she insists that the standard should not be based on adequacy but on excellence. “Our attitude shouldn't be how much I need to do to make it sufficient,” she states. “Life shouldn’t just be ‘good enough,’ it has to be really good.”