Meta's AI Chatbot to Feature Celebrity Voices, Including Judi Dench and John Cena

Report: John Cena and Judi Dench's next role is your Meta AI voice

Celebrity endorsements can do a lot for a product, but Meta is making several celebrity voices the literal ones of its Meta AI assistant. John Cena, Kristen Bell, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, and Judi Dench may not be your real friends, but you'll be able to chat with their synthetic voice clones as much as you want soon, according to a report from Reuters. Meta is expected to announce those celebrities and, potentially, more to be who you hear when conversing with the AI chatbot. If celebrity voices for an AI chatbot seem like a gimmick, well, that's because it is. But, as generative AI assistants continue to sprout in an already crowded field, gimmicks might help Meta attract interest as it jockeys for position against OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The agreement with the celebrities will see them all as options for the AI's voice, joining the more generic options. The reported mix is interesting because all are at or near the heights of fame, all have roles children would recognize, and all have made plenty of appearances in more adult films and shows. It's unclear if the famous voices will require payment, though the celebrities are reportedly getting hefty paychecks for the project. Those checks ensure Meta won't face the rancor OpenAI did over accusations that one of ChatGPT's synthetic voices sounded like Scarlett Johansson in the movie Her. That's no small matter, as actors and writers went on strike last year in no small part because of concerns about AI replacing them. SAG-AFTRA is rumored to have a deal with Meta for using actors' voices, but there's been no announcement of whether it might be connected to this celebrity voice plan. Even if the celebrity voices make Meta AI a hit, the company won't be able to rest on its laurels for long. Google has plans for setting up AI chatbots of famous people and fictional characters on YouTube. Even Meta's plan to offer you the chance to make a custom AI chatbot based on yourself is something Google, Character.ai, and others are pursuing. Meta's eagerness to bring celebrities into its AI projects makes sense, but the company has had some problems on the front not long ago. Meta's Celebrity AI chatbots used celebrity likenesses for the text-based Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp feature when it came out earlier this year. If you look now, though, the chatbots remain, but without any celebrity branding. Famous voices also tempted Amazon, who gave Alexa the voices of first Samuel L. Jackson, followed by Melissa McCarthy, Shaquille O'Neal, and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan. A few years after the first test, Amazon removed the voices from Alexa. Still, Meta is expected to showcase a lot of AI news at the Connect conference this year so this may be only the cherry on top of the other news, boosted by the likely enthusiastic endorsement of the celebrities we'll all be hearing speak to us soon.

Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others

Facebook owner Meta Platforms is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told on Monday. The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters. The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Meta has been racing to push out generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, as it competes against Microsoft-backed ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Alphabet's Google to dominate the emerging technology. As part of that, the company has been adding capabilities to its chatbot and pushing to make it a more prominent part of the experience of using its apps. OpenAI showed off a similar audio feature for its chatbot in May, but quickly ran into trouble when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of making it sound "eerily similar" to her even though she had declined to lend her voice to the project. Meta's assistant is currently capable of engaging in text chats and generating images in response to user prompts. The company last year experimented with bringing star power to the project by launching text-based "character" versions of the chatbot inspired by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, although those never appeared to gain traction with users. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves.

Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others, source says

NEW YORK - Facebook owner Meta Platforms is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters on Monday. The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters. The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Meta has been racing to push out generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, as it competes against Microsoft-backed ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Alphabet's Google to dominate the emerging technology. As part of that, the company has been adding capabilities to its chatbot and pushing to make it a more prominent part of the experience of using its apps. OpenAI showed off a similar audio feature for its chatbot in May, but quickly ran into trouble when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of making it sound "eerily similar" to her even though she had declined to lend her voice to the project. Meta's assistant is currently capable of engaging in text chats and generating images in response to user prompts. The company last year experimented with bringing star power to the project by launching text-based "character" versions of the chatbot inspired by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, although those never appeared to gain traction with users. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves. (Reporting by Katie Paul in New York Editing by Kenneth Li and Matthew Lewis)

Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others, source says

Facebook owner Meta Platforms is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters on Monday. The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters. The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Meta has been racing to push out generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, as it competes against Microsoft-backed ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Alphabet's Google to dominate the emerging technology. As part of that, the company has been adding capabilities to its chatbot and pushing to make it a more prominent part of the experience of using its apps. OpenAI showed off a similar audio feature for its chatbot in May, but quickly ran into trouble when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of making it sound "eerily similar" to her even though she had declined to lend her voice to the project. Meta's assistant is currently capable of engaging in text chats and generating images in response to user prompts. The company last year experimented with bringing star power to the project by launching text-based "character" versions of the chatbot inspired by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, although those never appeared to gain traction with users. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves. SHARE Copy linkEmailFacebookTwitterTelegramLinkedInWhatsAppRedditPublished on September 24, 2024

Talk to Judi Dench and John Cena! Meta reportedly set to bring celebrity voices to upcoming AI feature

Reportedly, the voice options, which also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, will be offered alongside a variety of generic voices for Meta's AI. The announcement is expected to take place during Meta's annual Connect conference, starting Wednesday. This audio feature will be available across Meta's apps, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in the U.S. and other English-speaking regions, adds the report. The introduction of celebrity voices could align with Meta's broader push to stay competitive in the fast-growing field of generative AI. Major tech rivals like OpenAI, supported by Microsoft, and Google, under Alphabet, have also been expanding their AI products. OpenAI rolled out a similar voice feature for its chatbot earlier this year, though it faced controversy when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of using a voice that closely mimicked hers without her consent. Meta has been racing to enhance its AI offerings and deepen their integration into its apps, giving users new ways to interact with the technology. Last year, the company experimented with text-based AI "characters" modeled after celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, though these did not achieve widespread popularity. Meta is also anticipated to introduce its first iteration of augmented-reality (AR) glasses at the event. The company is likely to detail future plans for other hardware, such as its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became the first product to feature an audio-enabled version of Meta's AI assistant. In anticipation of the Connect conference, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a promotional video on Instagram last week featuring John Cena. In the clip, Cena and others perform stunts while wearing Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. 3.6 Crore Indians visited in a single day choosing us as India's undisputed platform for General Election Results. Explore the latest updates here!

Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others, source says

Facebook owner Meta Platforms is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters on Monday. The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters. The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. Meta, TikTok, Twitch, and other social media platform users lack control over data used by AI: U.S. FTC The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Meta has been racing to push out generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, as it competes against Microsoft-backed ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Alphabet's Google to dominate the emerging technology. As part of that, the company has been adding capabilities to its chatbot and pushing to make it a more prominent part of the experience of using its apps. OpenAI showed off a similar audio feature for its chatbot in May, but quickly ran into trouble when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of making it sound "eerily similar" to her even though she had declined to lend her voice to the project. Meta's assistant is currently capable of engaging in text chats and generating images in response to user prompts. The company last year experimented with bringing star power to the project by launching text-based "character" versions of the chatbot inspired by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, although those never appeared to gain traction with users. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves. Published - September 24, 2024 08:31 am IST Read Comments

Exclusive: Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others, source says

NEW YORK, Sept 23 - Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters on Monday. The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Meta has been racing to push out generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, as it competes against Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O), opens new tab ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google to dominate the emerging technology. As part of that, the company has been adding capabilities to its chatbot and pushing to make it a more prominent part of the experience of using its apps. OpenAI showed off a similar audio feature for its chatbot in May, but quickly ran into trouble when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of making it sound "eerily similar" to her even though she had declined to lend her voice to the project. Meta's assistant is currently capable of engaging in text chats and generating images in response to user prompts. The company last year experimented with bringing star power to the project by launching text-based "character" versions of the chatbot inspired by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, although those never appeared to gain traction with users. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves. Reporting by Katie Paul in New York Editing by Kenneth Li and Matthew Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

John Cena, Kristen Bell: Meta AI Chatbot To Get These Voices To Speak With You

Meta wants to bring famous people to add their voices for its AI chatbot NEW YORK - Facebook owner Meta Platforms is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters on Monday. The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters. The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Meta has been racing to push out generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, as it competes against Microsoft-backed ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Alphabet's Google to dominate the emerging technology. As part of that, the company has been adding capabilities to its chatbot and pushing to make it a more prominent part of the experience of using its apps. OpenAI showed off a similar audio feature for its chatbot in May, but quickly ran into trouble when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of making it sound "eerily similar" to her even though she had declined to lend her voice to the project. Meta's assistant is currently capable of engaging in text chats and generating images in response to user prompts. The company last year experimented with bringing star power to the project by launching text-based "character" versions of the chatbot inspired by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, although those never appeared to gain traction with users. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves.

Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others, source says

British actress Dame Judi Dench poses with a seedling from the Sycamore Gap tree that was felled by vandals at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, at Chelsea Flower Show, in London, Britain, on May 20, 2024. -- Reuters file Facebook owner Meta Platforms is planning to announce this week that it has secured deals with actors including Judi Dench, Kristen Bell and John Cena to give voice to its Meta AI chatbot, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters on Monday. The new audio feature will offer users the option to select a voice for Meta's ChatGPT-like digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, who also include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, as well as several generic voice options, the person told Reuters. The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. The celebrity voices will start launching in the US and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves.

Exclusive-Meta's AI chatbot to start speaking in the voices of Judi Dench, John Cena, others, source says

The social media giant is set to announce the audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which starts on Wednesday, the person said. Meta is also expected to unveil a first version of its augmented-reality glasses at Connect this year and to discuss its road map for other hardware devices like its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which last year became its first product to include an audio version of the Meta AI chatbot. The celebrity voices will start launching in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's family of apps, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the source told Reuters. Bloomberg first reported earlier this summer that Meta was in discussions with celebrities about using their voices for AI projects. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Meta has been racing to push out generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, as it competes against Microsoft-backed ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Alphabet's Google to dominate the emerging technology. As part of that, the company has been adding capabilities to its chatbot and pushing to make it a more prominent part of the experience of using its apps. OpenAI showed off a similar audio feature for its chatbot in May, but quickly ran into trouble when actor Scarlett Johansson accused the company of making it sound "eerily similar" to her even though she had declined to lend her voice to the project. Meta's assistant is currently capable of engaging in text chats and generating images in response to user prompts. The company last year experimented with bringing star power to the project by launching text-based "character" versions of the chatbot inspired by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg, although those never appeared to gain traction with users. Meta has since shifted focus to an AI Studio product that enables content creators on its platforms to create chatbot versions of themselves. (Reporting by Katie Paul in New York; Editing by Kenneth Li and Matthew Lewis)

Meta's AI Chatbot To Mimic Voices Of Celebrities Like Judi Dench And John Cena: Here's What Mark Zuckerberg-Led Company Has Learned From OpenAI-Scarlett Johansson Fiasco - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Meta Platforms Inc. META is gearing up to announce that its AI chatbot will reportedly be able to mimic the voices of celebrities such as Judi Dench, John Cena, and others. What Happened: Meta has secured agreements with several actors, including Dench, Kristen Bell, and Cena, to voice its AI chatbot, reported Reuters, citing a source familiar with the plans. This new audio feature will enable users to choose a voice for Meta's digital assistant from a list of five celebrities, which also includes Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, in addition to several generic voice options. The social media behemoth plans to unveil these audio capabilities at its annual Connect conference, which kicks off on Wednesday. The celebrity voices will start rolling out in the U.S. and other English-speaking markets this week across Meta's suite of apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. See Also: Apple's Former Design Maestro Jony Ive Confirms He's Joined Forces With OpenAI's Sam Altman For A New AI Hardware Project Meta is also anticipated to reveal the first iteration of its augmented-reality glasses at the Connect conference this year. The company has been striving to launch generative artificial intelligence products to its billions of users, vying against ChatGPT-parent OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.'s Google. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a promotional video featuring Cena on Instagram last week, showing the two men and several others engaging in stunts while wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: This latest development by Meta comes in the wake of a controversy involving OpenAI and Scarlett Johansson, where the actress accused the AI company of using a voice modeled after hers without consent. This incident highlighted the need for regulations to protect artists and creators from being exploited by AI tools. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and founder of xAI, also criticized OpenAI, the company he co-founded in 2015 but later parted ways with, for replicating the actor's voice. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists or SAG-AFTRA also supported Johansson in her dispute with OpenAI. The use of AI to replace voice actors and creators was a central topic of debate during last year's writers' strike in Hollywood. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Jeff Bezos Had A Habit Of Keeping An Empty Chair For The Most Important Person In The Room At Company Meetings: This Strategy Helped The Amazon Founder Build The E-Commerce Giant We Know Today Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta's chatbot could soon sound like John Cena or Judi Dench -- but definitely not OpenAI's Scarlett Johansson soundalike

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. In May, OpenAI faced sharp criticism for the launch of its chatbot, Sky, which featured a voice that sounded remarkably similar to that of actor Scarlett Johansson -- who famously voiced an AI in the 2013 movie "Her." Johansson said she repeatedly declined to participate in OpenAI's project when asked and hired legal representation after the launch. OpenAI pulled the voice option amid the conflict with the superstar. For his part, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg teased the celebrity partnership in an Instagram post that featured Cena in a "stunt test" of the company's Ray-Ban smart glasses -- which Reuters reported will also be featured at the Connect conference. Though it remains to be seen whether the latest Meta release will be a commercial or critical success, it appears the company will avoid the headache OpenAI encountered. Fortune reported last month that Meta is shelling out millions of dollars for the rights to use the stars' voices for AI projects. This won't be the first time celebrity voices made their way to the tech world but it may be among the most fun. Waze has long partnered with stars like Morgan Freeman and Jay Leno to read out your map's directions, but Meta's AI chatbot offers the opportunity to give orders to Gossip Girl -- or James Bond's boss. Representatives for Meta and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Meta to Use Celebrity AI Voices Amid Consent Debate

Meta's AI chatbot will soon be available with voiceovers of Hollywood stars like Kristen Bell, Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, and Awkwafina, reported Reuters. Meta will announce the new AI voices at its Connect developer conference for its U.S. and other English-speaking markets. The new feature will let Meta users choose a voice for the digital assistant. This includes the five celebrity voices and several other generic voices. This comes at a time when actress Scarlett Johannson accused OpenAI of using her voice for its AI chatbot without consent. While the Reuters report does not appear to mention details of the understanding between Meta and the named actors, recent legislation by US states hints at a growing obligation of AI companies to ensure informed consent. Earlier in September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a Bill that requires media studios to obtain consent before using actors' or deceased artists' likenesses for AI-generated 'digital replicas.' The AB 2602 Bill mandates that a performer's contract specify if producers plan to use digital replicas of a performer's voice or likeness. This refers to "computer-generated, highly realistic electronic representation that is readily identifiable as the voice or visual likeness of an individual" for which the individual did not perform. Digital replicas do not include remixing, mastering, or digital remastering of a sound recording or audiovisual work. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), a union that has been vocal in protecting artists' personality rights in the age of AI, strongly backed these laws.