Morgan Freeman is not a fan of his voice being used for artificial intelligence.
In an article for The Guardian, the Oscar-winning actor, publicly condemned the unauthorized use of AI to replicate his vocal signature.
Freeman, 88, whose voice has served as narrator, deity, and reassuring presence for decades, said that his “lawyers have been very, very busy.”
The actor added, “I’m a little PO’d, you know. I’m like any other actor: don’t mimic me with falseness. I don’t appreciate it, and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you’re gonna do it without me, you’re robbing me.”
There has been an uptick in A.I usage across Hollywood including the creation of synthetic actors, like Tilly Norwood.
Norwood, regarded as the first “AI actor”, was officially unveiled in September. She is described as a “super realistic” digital creation with a team of 15 humans behind her, gained sudden notoriety.
Freeman admitted that he is unenthusiastic about this new genre of actors.
“Nobody likes her because she’s not real and that takes the part of a real person, so it’s not going to work out very well in the movies or in television … The union’s job is to keep actors acting, so there’s going to be that conflict.”
Morgan Freeman believes that if he earns money performing voice work and acting, it is unethical and unfair for companies to copy his vocal likeness without compensation.
On the flipside, James Earl Jones, gave consent for AI (specifically Ukrainian company Respeecher) to recreate his signature Darth Vader voice after he retired from the role.