Japanese actors' union releases AI usage guidelines, requiring performers' consent at every stage
The Japanese actors' union has released guidelines for AI applications, requiring companies to obtain performers' informed consent at every stage of AI use, clearly disclose whether voices will be used for AI training, and negotiate remuneration. For deceased performers, the guidelines stipulate that AI voice replication is prohibited unless they explicitly consented during their lifetime, and that permission from surviving family members or estate management bodies must be obtained and copyright royalties paid. The union says the move aims to protect the dignity, reputation and artistic legacy of deceased performers.
Why read this
AI score 55
The Japanese actors' union has set out rules for staged informed consent and authorization for AI recreations of deceased performers, which can serve as a compliance reference for AI voice use.
Topics
Body · AI translation
The guidelines proposed by the union are not a blanket ban or strict control, but rather require obtaining performers' informed consent at "every stage" of AI use. Companies must clearly inform actors whether their voices will be used for AI training, and must also negotiate compensation with them. In other words, consenting to let AI generate one's voice for scenarios such as short video ads is akin to authorizing a merchant to print one's likeness on a cereal box—it falls under the category of image licensing.
These informed consent guidelines also apply to AI-translated performance content, while restrictions are even stricter for imitations of deceased actors' likenesses and voices—for example, the "appearance" of the late singer Tupac in the upcoming film "Heavenly Stranger" has sparked widespread controversy.
The guidelines explicitly stipulate that unless a deceased actor clearly consented during their lifetime, using AI to replicate their voice is prohibited. At the same time, AI-related uses also require the consent of the actor's surviving family members, estate management agency, or other relevant management organizations, and copyright royalties must be paid to these rights successors.
The union stated: "This provision is intended to protect the dignity, reputation, and artistic legacy of deceased performers from commercial exploitation. We will respect the wishes of the deceased to the greatest extent possible; when generating AI-related content, formal permission must be obtained from the family members (or administrators) who inherit the relevant rights, to prevent desecration of the deceased."
The voice acting industry has long seen numerous AI-related abuses, such as AI simulating James Earl Jones's voice to utter AI-generated insulting remarks in "Fortnite." By comparison, this set of guidelines from the Japan Actors Union appears quite moderate and reasonable. Whether these measures to protect actors' rights can be implemented in the Japanese entertainment industry and beyond still requires time to verify.