By SDCN Editor
Los Angeles, CA–SAG-AFTRA and Ethovox announced a new agreement that ensures performers are protected and empowered in the A.I. age.
Co-founded by BAFTA Games Award-winner Cissy Jones, Ethovox is building a fully-authenticated foundational A.I. model for voice. In addition to ensuring performers can participate in Ethovox’s consensual foundational model knowing they will be protected and compensated fairly, the voice model will reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Further, the SAG-AFTRA-Ethovox contract leads the field in performer compensation as it provides both session fees and ongoing revenue sharing for the life of the foundational model.
A foundational voice model provides the basis for digital replicas. It requires volumes of underlying voice data to enable the replicas to function properly. The Ethovox model will not be user-facing, and the voices included in the model will not be identifiable in any speech generated.
“What will safeguard voice actors’ livelihoods in the A.I. age is more contractual protection, not less,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “That’s why SAG-AFTRA will continue to recognize A.I. companies, like Ethovox, that agree with our union’s A.I. guidelines. Not everyone will want to work with an A.I. company, and that’s understandable. But for those who intend to utilize the opportunities A.I. offers, it’s important that agreements require companies to secure informed consent and provide fair compensation. Without informed consent and fair compensation, this new era will become a ‘Wild West’ of A.I. misuse and exploitation.”
“Ethovox is the only voice AI company owned and managed by voice actors, and we are pleased to be partnering with SAG-AFTRA on building a foundational voice A.I. model that prioritizes the interests of voice actors,” said Ethovox CEO Cissy Jones, a longtime advocate for A.I. regulations and guardrails. “A.I. should be a choice. For that reason, we have reached out to the voice actor community throughout this process. Ethovox will continue to do so as we demonstrate that artists can, and should, be compensated for contributing to ethical A.I. development while also maintaining consent and control over their voice data.”
The Ethovox Agreement was approved by the union’s Corporate/Educational and Non-Broadcast Committee and presented to and approved by SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Committee.
