META Platforms is offering Hollywood celebrities millions of US dollars for the right to record and use their voices for artificial intelligence (AI) projects, according to several sources familiar with the negotiations.
The company is talking with Judi Dench, Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the project is confidential. Representatives for Meta declined to comment.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is racing to close deals so it has time to develop a suite of AI tools for unveiling at its Connect 2024 event in September. While it’s not entirely clear how Meta will be using the voices, it has discussed a chatbot that could serve as a digital assistant, a la Apple’s Siri, or a friend, the sources said. Users could speak with a chatbot that has the voice of Awkwafina, for example.
Negotiations between Meta and some talent representatives have stopped and started many times because the parties cannot agree on terms for the use of the actors’ voices. Meta would like to secure rights to voices for many uses over a fixed term on a single project. Representatives for the actors are seeking stricter limits.
The use of AI has spooked many in the Hollywood creative community who fear losing work as a result of the technology. Screenwriters and actors fought for protections against the use of AI during labour stoppages last year. Yet SAG-AFTRA, the primary unions for actors, has reached an agreement with Meta on terms, according to the sources.
Meta has experimented with creating text-based chatbots inspired by celebrities such as Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton. The company has already ended that programme. It has also unveiled an AI studio that allows content creators to make chatbots of themselves. BLOOMBERG
