I think this is a good compromise. It solves many problems like the same voices being used forever, shutting out living actors, and payment of work; while solving the problem of what happens if the actor dies during production.

According to the Japan Actors Union, the new guidelines protect the dignity, reputation and legacy of deceased actors from commercial exploitation. Therefore, companies will be banned from using deceased actors’ voices for AI, with the exception of projects that the deceased had agreed to participate in during their lifetime. Even with this exception, companies will have to obtain prior written consent from the deceased’s bereaved family members, as well as the agency or organization with which the deceased was affiliated, and pay them royalties.

This bit is interesting to me. I was curious what they might say about AI cloning if the estate/family agree to it posthumously. It seems like that doesn’t even matter, and the only time it is allowed is if the person agreed to the specific project and for their voice to be used for AI on that project only, while they were alive.

I mean, if I was a voice actor that did well enough that people wanted to use AI for my voice and I was dead, I would definitely hope my family could still get paid royalties from it. I wouldn’t care, I would be worm food after all, but if it could benefit my family there isn’t a doubt that I would agree to it if I could. But this law basically is saying none of that matters, and it’s really only a clause to grandfather-in specific projects only and not for any further ones, basically leaving the estate/family with zero royalties after projects end.