French Voice Actors Take Legal Action Against American AI Firms for Unauthorized Voice Cloning

Eight prominent French voice actors have collectively issued formal legal notices to two American companies, Voice Dub and Fish Audio, demanding the immediate removal of illegally cloned voice models derived from their performances. The actors, celebrated for dubbing Hollywood stars such as Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, and Angelina Jolie, are seeking 20,000 euros in damages and require these AI firms to remove the cloned voices from their platforms within eight days.

Among the plaintiffs are Françoise Cadol, who voices Angelina Jolie, and Richard Darbois, both expressing strong concerns about the commercial exploitation of their vocal work without consent. Cadol noted that her voice was used for commercial purposes despite slight alterations, negatively impacting her livelihood and underlining the lack of protections against AI misuse. Darbois highlighted the legal gaps left unaddressed by current legislation surrounding generative AI voice cloning.

In response to this threat posed to their profession by emerging AI technologies, the voice actors organized a demonstration in Paris under the banner "Touche pas à ma VF" (Don’t Touch My Voice Dubbing), advocating for the protection of human-created dubbing work. Their lawyer, Jonathan Elkaim, emphasized that French law applies to these American-based companies given that the cloned voice content targets the French market.

This legal action is part of a broader movement, with American actors like Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey also fighting against unauthorized AI use of their voices and images. The French actors' efforts aim to draw public and governmental attention to the urgent need for safeguards against unauthorized AI exploitation of artistic performances.