Japan Actors Union guidelines require consent at every step of AI voice use

The Japan Actors Union, a cooperative of actors and voice actors, released guidelines on Oct. 15 requiring prior consent, with the purpose disclosed, before performers’ voices are used to train generative AI models, to generate AI audio or to publish it, and compensation based on how a voice is used, per the Asahi Shimbun and the union’s announcement. The guidelines say AI should not, in principle, replace Japanese-language voice performances in dubbed foreign productions, largely bar AI use of deceased actors’ voices, and say performers who refuse or withdraw consent must not be disadvantaged in casting or employment. The union’s announcement cites the lack of a recognized right to one’s voice in Japanese law, and Japan’s industry ministry has begun considering revisions to the Unfair Competition Prevention Law to address unauthorized AI use of voices, the Asahi reported.