Hollywood's latest fight over AI is centering on kids' voices. Nearly 1,000 actors, agents, parents, and other advocates have signed an open letter blasting a "major studio" for contracts that require child voice actors to let their voices be cloned and reused by artificial intelligence for franchise-related "commercial assets," report Deadline and Variety. Put together by the Agents of Young Performers Association, the letter says the studio has adopted a "take it or leave it" approach with agents or parents who object.
While the studio isn't named, Deadline reports that Hasbro's Peppa Pig has included similar provisions in its contracts. The toy and entertainment conglomerate tells the outlet that protecting child performers is "core" to the company's values and that it's approaching AI responsibly and out in the open. The signatories argue that minors can't give truly informed consent, and that parents' signatures shouldn't serve as open-ended permission to capture and reuse a child's voice.
The signees want kids' voices fully excluded from AI clauses, warning that "no child should have their future professional identity shaped by an AI model" before they're able to fully grasp the stakes. The flare-up follows a recent demo of an AI-generated Peppa Pig voice, built under a licensing deal with AI firm ElevenLabs, per Variety; Hasbro says that specific use was authorized and properly compensated.
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