Arts Workers Japan Raises Concerns that Voice Actors Will Lose Their Jobs to AI
Images via Seiyu’s Life!
Arts Workers Japan, an association of freelance voice actors and musicians, held a press conference in Tokyo on May 8 to convey their concerns that the development of AI could take away the art of expression, and that many people in the industry could lose their jobs. The association sent a written request to the Agency for Cultural Affairs and other agencies requesting the establishment of laws to strengthen efforts to protect rights on the same day as the press conference.
At the press conference, the association pointed out that it is highly likely that AI will create animation, films and music without demonstrations by voice actors or actors and that the jobs of the staff involved in their production will be lost. For example, AI announcers are increasingly replacing human announcers to read the news on Japanese news programs.
AI「表現の技術奪う」 － 芸能従事者、権利保護を訴えhttps://t.co/N2FUhhuLdy
— 共同通信公式 (@kyodo_official) May 8, 2023
Megumi Morisaki, the association’s president and an actor, argued, “Advances in AI will further destabilize the way we work.” She stressed the need for new provisions for rights related to artists and for legislation allowing performers and others to seek appropriate compensation when AI creates a work based on their work.
The association was established in 2021 and has about 52,000 members, including voice actors, artists, actors, and stage staff. According to its website, Art Works Japan aims to “create an environment where people working in arts and entertainment can receive social security, maintain their physical and mental health, receive fair rewards, and continue to work safely in the field of arts and entertainment.”
Source: Kyodo Tsushin, NHK (English)
