Meta Platforms offering celebrities millions to use their voices for AI

Meta Platforms Inc. is currently in negotiations with Hollywood celebrities, such as Judi Dench, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key, to secure the rights to record and use their voices for artificial intelligence projects, as reported by sources familiar with the discussions.

The company, known for owning Facebook and Instagram, aims to finalize these deals promptly to have sufficient time for developing a range of AI tools intended to be introduced at its Connect 2024 event scheduled for September.

The exact nature of how Meta intends to utilize these voices remains somewhat ambiguous; however, potential applications include a chatbot designed to function as a digital assistant akin to Apple’s Siri or a personalized companion.

For instance, users might interact with a chatbot featuring the voice of Awkwafina.

Negotiations between Meta and certain talent representatives have faced challenges, experiencing multiple halts and restarts due to disagreements over the terms governing the actors’ voice usage. Meta seeks broad rights to the voices for various purposes within a specified timeframe for a particular project, while the actors’ representatives advocate for more stringent limitations.

The utilization of artificial intelligence technology has raised concerns within the Hollywood creative community, with fears of potential job displacement arising as a consequence. Despite efforts by screenwriters and actors to safeguard against AI-related threats during labor disputes last year, it has been reported that SAG-AFTRA, the primary union representing actors, has reached an agreement with Meta on the terms regarding this matter.

Meta has previously dabbled in developing text-based chatbots inspired by celebrities such as Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton; however, that initiative has since been concluded. The company has also unveiled an AI studio enabling content creators to generate chatbots resembling themselves.

Source: MyBroadband