The Rush to Copyright
Three years on from the Actors Strike of 2023, what has changed and what as stayed the same?
Every performer has their own mint value: a unique person combined with an actor’s skill set, which is built and developed over time. In this fast-changing world, however, where you can literally wake up to find your voice or your video image has been cloned, there has been a rush to introduce laws to regulate the use of AI in the acting and voiceover industry. But it’s like a horserace, with the law and the cloning advances running neck and neck. The 2023 actors’ strike which brought Hollywood and the British acting industry to a halt finally meant that tight regulations on the use of AI in the acting profession came into effect. But how effective have these been? What’s changed and what has stayed the same? How worried should we be? After all, when the first screen performances in cinemas aired in the early 1900s, theatres were in a panic and opposed them, yet theatre still thrives stronger than ever. Another interesting comparison is the professional field of simultaneous language interpretation, where actual people possess skills, emotions and insights to a depth that AI cannot quite replicate enough for the precise nuance required for simultaneous interpretation. And for actors now, at least, a true authentic performance of mint value cannot be replaced to the same depth by AI. But whether any of us like it, AI is here to stay. So how will AI unfold in the future of the acting business?
What is different?
- There is now a vast bank of legal resources actors and voiceover artists can turn to if they feel their rights have been violated, offering a solid network of legal support and information for actors and voice artists whose biometric identity and performance skills have been cloned. In particular, the actors website Equity is a great source of help, and you can also use their AI Toolkit
- Stunt work is now better protected than before, though not as protected from AI to the extent that acting has, with some big gaps still remaining. This recent article in the Guardian newspaper has an interesting take on this https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/08/anti-slop-ai-art
What has stayed the same?
- The majority of studios still prioritise cost cutting and will try anything to lower their outgoings per production.
- AI can be full of mistakes and there is no change here.
- Just as before, actors, stunt workers and film extras must watch out for small print in contracts, but in this day and age, even more closely than ever.
- Better known and more highly paid actors can more easily have control over their intellectual copyright than less known ones.
- Film extras and crowd artists still have have little protection against the use of their image in AI generated crowd scenes, and remain very vulnerable, though this may slowly change. This interesting article explores the topic https://thisweekculture.com/article/film-and-tv-producers-offer-equity-members-extra-ai-protections/
There are some positives too
That said, AI does provide some handy self-study practice tools actors can practice with, such as for emotional training, accent coaching & acting training. AI tools could also potentially save time in the very beginnings of the casting process, as casting directors can use it to narrow down potential actors for a role. This could save time for both the actor, who would have to spend time and resources making an unnecessary self-tape, and the casting director who would need to only watch the more relevant self-tapes. That said, AI can make big mistakes, and there really could be some potential lost opportunities here too. So, the benefits remain very questionable.
There has also been a surge in rehearsal apps and script analysis, where actors can explore possibilities before going for specific coaching and training. The actors website Backstage has a good source of recommendations for these.
Accent coaching apps are also becoming more popular than before, and as an accent coach myself who offers an app The Voice Café Accent App, but has yet to integrate AI technology into it, I can say that of the other apps that do offer AI feedback, some are great, such as Bold Voice, but others aren’t always accurate. There is still much room for improvement with these tools.
AI can also offer some handy creative and administration tools too, such as ActorDo, which can save time and helps you handle daily tasks. But the downside here it means less work for admin workers.
Voice Cloning
The degree of accuracy in voice cloning has become particularly sinister, not only threatening the livelihoods of VoiceOver artists, but also is increasingly being used by criminals and hackers. Initially the AI voice was all too easy to spot, with the artificial tone and intonation parameters giving it away in seconds. But now cloning is becoming more sophisticated, and fortunately also the legal restrictions are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with new laws enforcing mandatory disclosure of AI and generative AI.
However people are increasingly finding in 2026 that their biometric identity has been nonetheless infringed, some learning with shock that their voice has been cloned without consent. For instance, recently a Bristol Voiceover artist discovered her voice had been cloned and used by a Californian generative artificial intelligence site, and was up for sale without her consent. Source: Bristol Post
Aside to the threat posed to voice artists and actors, the biometric uniqueness of the voice is increasingly becoming a serious concern for security. Criminals are using new technologies to hack bank accounts with voice recognition cloning and other types of fraudulent impersonation.
Interesting further reading
