Mexican voice actors push for stricter AI voice cloning regulation

Mexican voice actors rally in Mexico City, seeking AI regulations

In downtown Mexico City, a group of audio professionals marched to demand clearer rules that would stop voice cloning without consent.

• Dozens of actors, narrators and commercial announcers carried signs that read: “I don’t want to be replaced by AI” and “Voice is a biometric, it must be protected.”
• Legal questions grew after Scarlett Johansson publicly accused OpenAI of using her voice to power a chatbot. OpenAI responded by adjusting the tone to address the concerns.
• Spanish dubbing industry felt the weight of a recent controversy involving the late Jose Lavat. A TikTok clip released by the National Electoral Institute (INE) used Lavat’s recorded voice to thank voters after the June 1 judicial elections. Lavat’s family claimed the voice had been employed without permission.

Industry voices

Lili Barba, president of the Mexican Association of Commercial Announcements, told AFP that the movement was “a major violation” and insisted that the voice could be considered a biometric that deserves protection.

Harumi Nishizawa, 35, described the art of dubbing as “like embroidery.” She added that an artist’s job is to create distinct tones, pay close attention to nuances, and observe real actors’ expressions to emulate what happens on screen:

“As an artist, you can create certain tones, pay attention to nuances… observe the real actors’ expressions and try to emulate what’s happening on screen.”

Regulation demands

Actors highlighted an urgent request that governments recognize a voice as a biometric asset. They want the industry to develop enforcement policies that prevent studios from using AI to replace paid talent mid‑production.

Mexican actors and narrators have therefore stood in front of the Monument to the Revolution demanding a future where AI must respect the voice of human talent, the voice that belongs to a life, and the voice that no studio can replace.

AI Dubbing Surge Threatens Millions of Voice Artists

Amazon Prime Video began testing AI‑assisted voice dubbing in March, a move echoed by YouTube. South Korea’s film powerhouse CJ ENM recently unveiled a tool that blends visuals, audio and voice into a single 3D‑character system.

Mario Heras, Mexican dubbing director for video games, argues that human actors still hold the advantage. He claims that AI lacks the ability to make dialogue feel “funny, broken, off—or alive.”

Key Points

• Without legislative protection, millions of voice‑actor jobs could vanish.
• AI tools automate consistent, 3D character generation.
• Human‑voiced dialogue retains “fun, life, and nuance” that AI cannot replicate.
• Heras stresses that the human factor “protects us in this rebellion against the machines.”

As AI dubbing expands, industry leaders face a crucial decision: safeguard artist employment or allow voices to fade into machine‑generated silence.