James Earl Jones was the first high-profile case of an actor selling his voice for unlimited use with artificial intelligence. That’s why the metaphors about the dark side of power come to mind, because voices are one of the problems with AI’s hostile takeover of human performance for which there are no solutions in sight. As the voice of the dark Darth Vader, Jones is a crucial part of the “Star Wars” brand. Since he is now 93 years old, he probably won’t be able to do his job for much longer, so in September 2022 he sold the rights to his voice to the Ukrainian start-up Respeecher. They, in turn, have a contract with Disney, which ensures that they can enter his voice into an AI that can speak Darth Vader lines for eternity.
Artificial Intelligence: The Fight for the Right to Voice – Media
