Tech giant Amazon is currently exploring the potential of using AI-generated narrators for audiobooks, aiming to streamline production and meet growing publisher demands. This initiative, revealed during the fifth public hearing of the Senate's Adopting Artificial Intelligence inquiry, has sparked considerable debate surrounding the role of voice actors.
During this inquiry, representatives from Amazon and Google expressed their desire for Australian copyright laws to be relaxed. They argue this would facilitate the use of more content for training software tools, potentially improving the efficacy of AI applications.
Just weeks before these revelations, two unions representing actors voiced serious concerns about the contracts voice talents are being pushed to sign. Many actors reported being inadvertently bound to agreements permitting the future use of their voices, with one example highlighting how a local actor's voice was cloned without any prior consent.
Amazon Australia’s public policy lead, Matt Levey, explained to senators the current ambiguity surrounding the rules governing AI-generated voices. "This is not a well-established area of technology," Levey acknowledged, before adding, "It's something they're exploring."
Mr. Levey noted there are emerging concerns with text-to-voice technology and assured attendees of the inquiry about Amazon's engagement with the narrator community. He emphasized the importance of dialogue as Amazon navigates the evolving technology.
He also mentioned, "Digital voices are created with the consent of voice artists," but clarified Audible hasn't yet integrated this technology for Australian recordings. "It’s still very much a limited project happening only in select locations," he remarked.
Upon hearing these statements, inquiry chair Tony Sheldon countered some of Levey’s claims. He stated the terms of Audible contracts provided to the inquiry suggest actors had limited options when granting permission for voice usage.
Senator Sheldon expressed indignation, stating, "You've demanded consent," and deemed the current practices as reprehensible, necessitating governmental intervention. His remarks reflect growing alarm over how processes are being handled within the voice acting industry.
On another front, Nicole Foster, Amazon's global AI public policy director, recommended adjustments to copyright law. She argued such changes would empower developers to access greater data pools from Australian sources, enhancing the accuracy of representation within AI products.
She highlighted some jurisdictions have specific exemptions for text and data mining, pointing out the limitations currently faced by Australian developers. Concerns about copyright compliance were echoed by Google Australia’s government affairs director, Lucinda Longcroft, who stated their AI tools heavily rely on both publicly accessible and copyright-protected material.
Longcroft cautioned against training AI without access to this information, warning it would render AI outputs incomplete and potentially bias-ridden. "If we were to exclude works still under copyright... it is predictable the models would then show bias or have gaps or ignorance,” she said.
Meanwhile, officials from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources hinted at forthcoming reforms aimed at regulating the AI sector. Helen Wilson, deputy secretary of the science and technology group, outlined plans for developing voluntary AI rules, signaling important shifts coming down the pipeline.
Wilson assured the public, "The government has been really clear: it is going to regulate the use and application of AI in high-risk settings." Such regulatory measures reflect the government’s determination to maintain oversight as AI technology evolves.
She explained these voluntary standards would help organizations, large and small, prep for impending legislation. It's clear the need for structure and clarity is becoming increasingly urgent as AI plays a larger role across industries.
Charged with investigating AI trends, potential biases and its societal impacts, the inquiry was established back in March. The parliamentary committee is expecting to release its findings by September, and audiences across Australia are eager to see the direction it could lead.