Meta offering Hollywood stars millions of dollars for AI voice projects

SAN FRANCISCO – Meta Platforms is offering Hollywood celebrities millions of dollars for the right to record and use their voices for artificial intelligence (AI) projects, according to several people familiar with the negotiations.

The company is talking to English actress Judi Dench, American actress Awkwafina and American actor Keegan-Michael Key, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is confidential. Representatives for Meta declined to comment.

Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, is racing to close deals so it has time to develop a suite of AI tools for unveiling at its Connect 2024 event in September.

While it is not entirely clear how Meta will be using the voices, it has discussed a chatbot that could serve as a digital assistant – a la Apple’s Siri – or a friend, the people said. Users could speak with a chatbot that has the voice of Awkwafina, for example.

Negotiations between Meta and some talent representatives have stopped and started many times because the parties cannot agree on the terms of use for the actors’ voices.

Meta would like to secure rights to voices for many uses over a fixed term on a single project. Representatives for the actors are seeking stricter limits. 

The use of AI has spooked many in Hollywood’s creative community, who fear losing work as a result of the technology.

Screenwriters and actors fought for protection against the use of AI during labour stoppages in 2023. Yet SAG-Aftra, also known as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the primary union for actors, has reached an agreement with Meta on terms, according to the people.

Meta has experimented with creating text-based chatbots inspired by American celebrities such as Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton. The company has already ended that project. It has also unveiled an AI studio that allows content creators to make chatbots of themselves. BLOOMBERG