Is Voice Over?

It’s not a particularly good time to be a voice actor. Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage, a husband and wife who both make a living from their voice work, were thinking just that last summer as they listened to a podcast about the rise of AI and the damage it could do to careers like theirs. Then they realized something. “The podcast had an unexpected twist. To underline the threat from A.I., the host conducted a lengthy interview with a talking chatbot named Poe. It sounded just like Mr. Lehrman. ‘He was interviewing my voice about the dangers of A.I. and the harms it might have on the entertainment industry,’ Mr. Lehrman said. ‘We pulled the car over and sat there in absolute disbelief, trying to figure out what just happened and what we should do.'” NYT (Gift Article): What Do You Do When A.I. Takes Your Voice? “Two voice actors say an A.I. company created clones of their voices without their permission. Now they’re suing.” The company that deployed the voiceover is telling the plaintiffs to talk to the hand. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out it’s Mr. Lehrman’s hand.

+ “Gradually I realized that my best shot at understanding how chatters operate would be to join their ranks. As an English major who’s been fortunate enough to make a living with words for more than 20 years, I naively assumed I was qualified to land a gig. And as a writer, I was curious to learn what kind of artistry the job would require—what it takes to ensure that OnlyFans users never doubt they’re really interacting with the objects of their desire.” Wired: I Went Undercover as a Secret OnlyFans Chatter. It Wasn’t Pretty. “Your online influencer girlfriend is actually a rotating cast of low-wage workers. I became one of them.” You officially can’t be sure who you’re talking to or texting with or receiving an email from anymore. That’s why I always try to sneak in a typo or a glaring grammatical error—so you’ll know it’s really me.