Japanese dubbers are worried about programs that mimic their voice.

They are as famous in Japan as many comedians and have played characters in anime for years. Kenjiro tsuda, with his manly, shrinking voice is well-known in Japan. Nobuyo oyama was the voice behind the robot cat Doraemon.

Artificial intelligence is not a threat to this industry, but generative platforms can now imitate human voices with near-perfect accuracy. These artificial intelligences, which are equipped with innovative technology, can use hundreds of voice samples to reproduce every accent, sound and emotion.

Revisiting the rules

Why pay for a dubbing job that can be completed in seconds by a computer, when a human could do it? In early November of 2024, the actors and dubbing unions in Tokyo met to demand that the government tighten rules. They don’t wish to ban AI from the profession but they do want the ability to approve or deny the use of the voices they provide in future productions. Pirate videos on the internet already use, without permission, popular Japanese voices in advertisements and music videos.

The government, for its part, says that it will finalize a new legislation, or at least propose amendments to current Unfair Competition Law which, until now, had not specific provisions on the subject of dubbing.

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