Eren’s Voice Actor Yuki Kaji Expresses His Frustration On AI Imitating Voices Without Permission
He says the voice actors would lose their confidence, their dignity, and what they have built together if AI continues to steal their voices.
The latest episode of NHK’s Close-Up Gendai titled “This is real! Sweeping the world! Generated AI content” on Dec 12, 2023, featured the celebrated voice actor of Attack on Titan’s Eren Yeager, Yuki Kaji, as he shares his views on AI-generated content from a voice actor’s perspective.
In this show, he took the opportunity to express his deep frustration and concern with the advancement of artificial intelligence, wherein normal people like you and me can take a voice actor’s voice, run it through a program, and make a virtual character sing using that voice without permission.
(Eren’s voice actor Yuki Kaji)
We’ve seen this happening more often in recent times and Yuki Kaji says he finds it deeply frustrating as a voice actor, elaborating that Seiyuus put their heart and soul into their performances and if this continues to increase, it would completely shatter their pride and confidence.
From the interview, we can see that Yuki Kaji views this situation as a crisis and hopes the trademarked voices of these actors will be protected by law.
“Voice actors do not just do voices, they do it with the determination and responsibility to breathe life and soul into them. As an actor, it is frustrating to see this being traced, recreated and produced in a different form. Turning it into a toy could destroy the pride of these people and what they have built together.”
今、生成AIで作られたコンテンツが世界を席巻。一方でAIに好きな声優の声を学習させ、勝手に歌わせる動画が氾濫するなどのトラブルも。
人気声優の #梶裕貴 さんが複雑な思いを吐露しました。
詳しくは、12(火)夜7:30の #クロ現 で放送します。同時&見逃し配信は👇https://t.co/HDTvEsTxEN pic.twitter.com/f6lCBrypdv
— NHKクローズアップ現代 公式 (@nhk_kurogen) December 11, 2023
About Attack on Titan:
Attack on Titan is a manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It was serialized in Kodansha’s monthly magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from September 2009 to April 2021, with its chapters collected in 34 tankōbon volumes.
Studio WIT adapted the first 3 seasons of the anime, while Studio MAPPA adapted the final season. The series came to an end with the airing of its final episode on November 4, 2023.
Crunchyroll describes the overall plot of Attack on Titan as follows:
“Known in Japan as Shingeki no Kyojin, many years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating Titans that roamed the land outside their fortress.
Only the heroic members of the Scouting Legion dared to stray beyond the safety of the walls – but even those brave warriors seldom returned alive.
Those within the city clung to the illusion of a peaceful existence until the day that dream was shattered, and their slim chance at survival was reduced to one horrifying choice: kill – or be devoured!”
Source: Oricon
