Boris Rehlinger might blend into the Parisian crowds, but his voice is instantly recognisable to millions of French cinema-goers. As the French voice of Hollywood A-listers like Ben Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, and even the swashbuckling Puss in Boots, Rehlinger is a star operating behind the scenes. Now, he’s at the forefront of a battle to safeguard his profession in the rapidly evolving age of Artificial Intelligence.
“I feel threatened, even though my voice hasn’t been replaced by AI yet,” says Rehlinger, a key figure in the French initiative ‘TouchePasMaVF’ (Hands Off My VF – Voix Française, or French Voice). This movement aims to protect human-created dubbing from the encroachment of AI.
Rehlinger emphasises the collaborative nature of high-quality dubbing. He explains that a dedicated team of professionals, including actors, translators, production directors, dialogue adapters, and sound engineers, work in concert to ensure that audiences are completely immersed in the film, barely noticing that the actor on screen is speaking a different language.
The demand for dubbing has surged in recent years, fuelled by the rise of global streaming platforms like Netflix. These platforms rely heavily on dubbing to transform local productions into global sensations, citing examples such as “Squid Game” and “Lupin”.
Data from consumer research firm GWI indicates a strong preference for dubbed content among European viewers. In Germany, France, Italy, and the UK, 43% of viewers prefer watching films and television programmes with dubbed audio rather than reading subtitles.
The dubbing market is experiencing substantial growth. Market analysis predicts the sector will reach $4.3 billion by 2025 and is forecast to hit $7.6 billion by 2033.
This expansion is expected to drive further demand for technology-based solutions, as streaming platforms compete for subscribers and advertising revenue, all while striving to increase their reach.
However, the increasing sophistication and cost-effectiveness of AI-generated voices are causing concern among voice actor industry associations across Europe. These groups are urging the EU to implement stricter regulations to protect the quality of dubbing, the jobs of voice actors, and the integrity of artists’ existing work, preventing their voices from being used without consent to create future dubbed content.
Rehlinger draws a parallel to the advent of the automobile: “We need legislation, just as after the car replaced the horse-drawn carriage, we needed a highway code.”
Concerns about technology potentially displacing human workers in the film industry are not new. AI became a central point of contention during the Hollywood labour disputes of 2023, which ultimately led to the establishment of new guidelines governing the use of AI in film and television production.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently revealed that the company used generative AI to create visual effects for the first time in its original series, “El Eternauta (The Eternaut)”.
Netflix has also been experimenting with generative AI to synchronise actors’ lip movements with dubbed dialogue, aiming to improve the viewing experience. These experiments involve using local voice actors to deliver the lines rather than relying on AI to synthesise the on-screen performer’s voice in another language.
This specific use of AI for dubbing is permitted under the new SAG-AFTRA actors’ union contract, which covers voice-over dubbing from foreign languages into English. The contract stipulates that actors providing dubbing services must be fairly compensated. Netflix has declined to comment directly on its use of AI in dubbing.
The intellectual property implications of AI-generated content are a major concern for dubbing actors.
In Germany, a campaign by 12 prominent dubbing actors went viral on TikTok, amassing 8.7 million views with the slogan: “Let’s protect artistic, not artificial, intelligence”.
The VDS voice actors’ association launched a petition calling on German and EU lawmakers to require AI companies to obtain explicit consent before training their technology on artists’ voices, to fairly compensate artists for the use of their voice, and to transparently label all AI-generated content. The petition has garnered over 75,500 signatures.
Cedric Cavatore, a VDS member who has dubbed films and video games, including “Final Fantasy VII Remake”, warns that the erosion of intellectual property rights will stifle creativity. “When intellectual property is no longer protected, no one will produce anything anymore because they think, ‘Tomorrow it will be stolen from me anyway.'”
VDS collaborates with United Voice Artists, a global network of over 20,000 voice actors, advocating for ethical AI use and fair contracts.
In the United States, Hollywood video game voice and motion capture actors recently negotiated a new contract with video game studios that includes provisions focused on AI, marking what SAG-AFTRA hailed as significant progress in protecting actors from the potential negative impacts of the technology.
Despite the anxieties, some studios are cautiously exploring the potential of AI.
Eberhard Weckerle, managing director of Neue Tonfilm Muenchen studio, expresses hope that AI and human dubbing can coexist in the future.
“The fear is that AI will be used to make something as cheap as possible, and then people will say, ‘Okay, I’ll accept that I’ll have poorer quality’. And that would actually be the worst thing that could happen to us,” says Weckerle, whose studio worked on the German version of “Conclave” and is currently dubbing Guy Ritchie’s latest film.
Earlier this year, the German-dubbed version of Viaplay’s Polish crime series, “Murderesses,” was removed from the streaming service following criticism from viewers who found the AI-generated dialogue monotonous.
Viaplay had explored alternative dubbing options due to the prohibitively high costs associated with traditional dubbing in Germany.
The hybrid dubbing solution, created in collaboration with Israeli startup DeepDub, used a combination of human and AI voices.
“We’ll continue offering subtitles and reserve dubbing for select content,” stated Vanda Rapti, the executive vice president of ViaPlay Group, ViaPlay Select & Content distribution.
Interestingly, a survey by GWI reveals that nearly half of viewers said their opinion of content would not change even if they knew it was generated by AI. Approximately 25% said they would like it slightly less, while only 3% said they would like it much more.
Stefan Sporn, CEO of Audio Innovation Lab, which used AI to dub the Cannes Film Festival entry “Black Dog” from Chinese to German, believes that AI will reshape, but not replace, voice work.
He argues that human input will always be essential for conveying emotion, crafting scripts, and capturing the nuances of language, “just not to the same extent.”
Audio Innovation Lab’s technology modifies the original actor’s voice to match the target language, aiming for both authenticity and efficiency.
“Interest is huge,” says Sporn, noting that producers, studios, and advertisers are all eager to learn more about the capabilities of AI dubbing.
Another startup, Flawless AI, positions itself as an ethical AI company that collaborates with local voice actors and utilises its technology to synchronise the on-screen actor’s lip movements with the dubbed dialogue.
“When AI technologies are used in the right way, they are a silver bullet to change how we can film-make in a new way,” claims co-CEO Scott Mann.
