Voiceover artists Paul Lehrman and Linnea Sage have filed a class-action lawsuit against AI voiceover company Lovo, alleging that the company used their voice recordings without permission to create an AI bot that replicates their voices. The lawsuit accuses Lovo of fraudulent practices, false advertising, and infringement of publicity rights, and seeks damages amounting to $5 million.
Lehrman and Sage claim that they were initially approached through Fiverr to provide voiceover work for anonymous clients, ranging from research projects to radio ad test scripts. However, they were unaware that Lovo was using their voice samples to create AI versions of their voices and selling them.
The discovery of their voices being replicated without their consent came as a shock to Lehrman and Sage. Lehrman first became aware of the situation while listening to a podcast discussing the rise of AI and its impact on working actors. To his surprise, he heard an AI bot being interviewed, and realized that it had his own voice. Similarly, Sage stumbled upon a video from 2020 where Lovo showcased its voice technology to investors, and found her own voice being used in the demonstration.
This lawsuit raises important questions about the rights of voice actors and the ethical implications of AI technology in the field of voiceover work. It highlights the need for clear regulations and protections to ensure that voice actors have control over the use of their recordings and are not unknowingly competing against AI versions of themselves.
As the use of AI in various industries continues to expand, it is crucial to address these issues and establish guidelines to prevent unauthorized use of individuals’ voices and protect their livelihoods.