Artificial Intelligence is a “problem” that is finding its way into various entertainment avenues. Despite the wonders of this technology, many of those advances often may appear as threats to those who work in the creative field. While A.I. creating animation is nothing new for those who have been following the technology, this doesn’t mean that voice actors are “safe” from the possibility of futuristic robots taking their roles. In a surprising new gathering of voice actors, many well-known actors in the anime field are banding together to forge a new coalition that will operate under a common goal for anime’s future.
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“No More Unauthorized Generative AI” sees some major Japanese voice actors uniting to combat the fact that their voices can be bought and sold without their permission. Most recently, a talent management agency known as Aoni Production has confirmed that they plan on creating “AI-replicated voices” to be used across multiple devices that are readily available in the world. To help fill fans in on their organization and show their support, the new collective has created a YouTube channel that gathers the voice actors and harolds new social media accounts. With these accounts, “No More Mudan Seisei AI” is hoping to spread the word on why it is so important that voice actors retain the rights to their own voices.
Which Voice Actors Are Fighting A.I.?
When it comes to the voice actors who are involved in this project, there are a few that you will recognize if you’ve been following some of the biggest franchises in the medium. One of the biggest is Ryusei Nakao, the voice actor responsible for one of Dragon Ball’s greatest villains, Frieza. Nakao has hardly been limited to the Z-Fighters’ universe, also playing key roles in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Trigun Stampede, One-Punch Man, and One Piece.
Alongside Frieza’s voice actor, the new anime voice actor collective includes Koichi Yamadera (Dragon Ball Super, Jujutsu Kaisen), Yuki Kaji (Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer), Daisuke Namikawa (Hunter x Hunter, Haikyu), Jun Fukuyama (Blue Exorcist, Code Feass), and Romi Park (Fullmetal Alchemist, Shaman King). Needless to say, it’s a strong showing of actors looking to protect their livelihood in the face of advancing technology.
Eren Jaeger Vs. A.I.
Yuki Kaji took the opportunity to speak on the subject of artificial intelligence in a new interview, stating that he does not necessarily see the tech as good or evil, “AI is neither good nor evil as a technology. It all depends on the morals of the people who use it. That’s why I thought that by releasing ‘Bon Soyogi,’ which uses my voice, I could prove the ‘correct way voice AI should be.’ I hope that this decision will broaden the scope of all kinds of creativity and lead to the development of new forms of entertainment.”
Earlier this year, the Nippon Anime and Film Culture Association released an official statement, focusing specifically on the use of artificial intelligence on the animation side of all things anime, “We [the NAFCA] feel it will be very difficult in the future to bring fair revenue to creators when projects are being created through the use of generative AI,” the note reads. “For instance, if an AI generates a character with the head of Doraemon, the body of a Gundam, and the voice of Son Goku… If that creation is made with the thought it can be used freely so long as we hand over the required revenue, we’re not interested. Even if a character created using 100 others were to make a ton of profit, there is no good mechanism of sharing profit and approval with the creators of those 100 said characters.”
Want to stay updated on anime and its relation to artificial intelligence? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the medium and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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