French Voice Actors for Apex Legends Battle Against AI Usage

In an intriguing development, the voice actors lending their talents to the French version of Apex Legends have apparently declined to sign an agreement involving the use of their voices for AI training.

This revelation comes from Pascale Chemin, the voice behind Wraith in the French-language edition of the game. Chemin shared on Twitter that a publisher, very likely Electronic Arts, included a contract clause that proposed using their voice work to train AI models. While the game and publisher haven’t been officially confirmed, all signs seem to point to Apex Legends and EA being involved.

Adding to this, it seems a group of 31 other voice actors working on the project has also turned down the proposal. They collectively drafted a letter to express their refusal to the publisher.

Chemin emphasized the importance of this action in a translated post on ResetEra, stating, “If we don’t stand together now to ensure a clause protecting our voices is included in our contracts – not just for us, but for all video game dubbing studios – we might never see such protection, leading to a bleak future.”

The challenge doesn’t just rest in the refusal, though. Chemin acknowledged the difficulties many voice actors are facing, saying, “Refusing work right now seems illogical. Many of us are barely finding any opportunities as it is, and financial struggles are a reality. A paycheck would be helpful. Yet, we’re not only being asked to work; we’re being asked to hand over our skills to train the AI that could replace us. It’s like being asked to participate in our own redundancy. It’s a push to support AI, which conflicts with our livelihood.”