To complete Road House faster, Amazon would have cloned the voices of its actors using AI, against their consent

A few months ago, American actors protested against the use of AI by studios. If an agreement has been reached, the reality seems quite different.

When we see the progress made in artificial intelligence, we can only be impressed. Generation of texts, images, musical compositions and even very human voices: many professionals and artists suddenly seem replaceable in a few clicks and a few words.

A bleak prospect for some, but one that could turn out to be more and more real.

When Jake Gyllenhaal is no longer here

In the SVOD sector, Amazon Prime Video is no longer a small player. The company invests massively in audiovisual production, and its acquisition of MGM, one of the historic majors in American cinema, is only the best proof of this. But this new posture creates new problems for the American giant, particularly with professionals and artists in the industry, who have led major protest movements in 2023.

A major problem for the studios, which could no longer advance projects in which significant sums were invested. Like the remake of Road Housea 1989 film directed by Rowdy Herrington, whose production was halted during the actors’ strikes.

To compensate for their absence, Amazon would have found a simple solution: use AI to clone the voices of part of the cast. At least that’s what screenwriter R. Lance Hill, author of the original film, suggests.

A situation that may not be so unique

The accusation is far from trivial, since the American company is not authorized to do so, it would even violate the agreement concluded between the unions and the studios on the use of artificial intelligence. For its part, Amazon defends itself, explaining to our colleagues that The Verge that he was “ expressly asked the filmmakers NOT to use AI in this film “. At least, in its final version, because it is not denied that the technique was not used during the post-production period.

What does Amazon risk in this matter? For now, the legal action aims to delay the release of this new version of Road House. Behind the motivations of R. Lance Hill is above all a question of copyright on his original screenplay, on which the American company’s production is based. The latter was to lose part of the rights in November 2023, and it is mainly because of this that AI would have been used, in order to move to the distribution stage before this deadline.

It remains to be seen whether the courts will investigate this matter further. The use of artificial intelligence in the audiovisual industry is only just beginning, and despite the agreements reached with the unions, it is to be expected that the studios will look for the slightest loophole to pass between the meshes of the net. And, given recent technological advances, we can understand that the temptation is great.

Source : Engadget