The use of artificial intelligence has exploded exponentially. Everything from music to industry to film has seen increased usage of AI to enhance and sometimes replace human beings completely. This, of course, has not come without great consternation from those being potentially replaced and those cautious of the impact of AI on entertainment.
The recent strike by the writers’ union underscored the stress artificial intelligence has placed on the industry. The fall television season was almost lost, and countless writers, gaffers, production crew, and others lost their livelihoods for months while the two sides argued over AI.
In the end, little was settled, and the issue has only been kicked down the road. However, people are starting to speak out about the use of the technology, and much of the concern surrounds the use of AI to create and mimic the voices of deceased artists.
Recently, the daughter of one of the most beloved actors and comedians of our generation spoke out about AI and its use of it to recreate her father’s voice. Robin Williams’s daughter, Zelda, is not happy about the use of AI to recreate her father’s voice. She recently said: “I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI. I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/re-create actors who cannot consent, like Dad.”
Williams most famously voiced Genie in Alladin but was recently used in a Disney short called ‘Once Upon a Studio.” While the short allegedly used “previously unheard dialogue,” Zelda Williams was not happy. She continued: “This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real. I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings. Living actors deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their HUMAN effort and time into the pursuit of performance. These re-creations are, at their very best, a poor facsimile of greater people, but at their worst, a horrendous Frankensteinian monster, cobbled together from the worst bits of everything this industry is, instead of what it should stand for.”
Despite her objections, actor Josh Gad, who had a hand in the short, defended the project, saying, “It’s important to not jump to conclusions before knowing all the facts. Me getting to act alongside my idol posthumously, using previously unheard dialogue, would NEVER EVER happen without the consent of his estate. My love for Robin Williams is literally unmatched and I would never do anything unless I was guaranteed that it was with all of the proper sign-off and support.”
It should be recalled that Williams committed suicide in 2014 at the age of 63. The comedian and actor had been diagnosed with anxiety, severe depression, and Parkinson’s disease, and the autopsy showed he suffered from an extremely rare condition called Lewy body dementia, which made him literally unable to feel happiness.
Whether Gad is simply doing damage control to excuse his role in the use of William’s voice, or the famed comedian’s estate really gave permission, it doesn’t make it any less creepy. The dead don’t speak, and using technology to make them speak is simply unsettling and ghoulish.
Featured image screen grab from embedded YouTube video
"*" indicates required fields