Meta's Multimillion-Dollar Bid for Celebrity Voices in AI Race

Meta Seeks A-List Hollywood Celebrities To Voice AI Tools

Celebrity voice-powered AI could be Meta's next big play, but Hollywood is wary of ethical implications and job security. Meta Platforms Inc. is said to be offering millions to Hollywood stars for the rights to use their voices in artificial intelligence (AI) projects. What Happened: According to a report, Meta is currently in negotiations with celebrities such as Judi Dench, Awkwafina, and Keegan-Michael Key. The specifics of the project are still under wraps, and Meta has chosen not to comment on the matter. The tech giant, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is racing against time to finalize these deals before its Connect 2024 event in September. The company's goal is to create a range of AI tools, which may include a chatbot that could function as a digital assistant or companion, reports Bloomberg. However, the negotiation process has been a rollercoaster ride due to disagreements over the terms of voice usage. While Meta is pushing for rights to the actors' voices for various applications over a fixed term on a single project, the actors' representatives are advocating for more stringent restrictions. Also Read: Don't Look Now, But Zuckerberg's Threads Is Picking Up Steam The integration of AI in the entertainment industry has sparked concerns among Hollywood professionals, who fear job displacement due to technological advancements. Despite these apprehensions, SAG-AFTRA, the main union for actors, has apparently reached a consensus with Meta on the terms. In the past, Meta has dabbled with text-based chatbots that were inspired by celebrities such as Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton. However, this program has since been discontinued. The news also follows on a controversy involving an AI voice assistant from OpenAI that sounded very much like Scarlett Johansson. Why It Matters: This move by Meta signifies a growing trend of tech companies leveraging the star power of celebrities to enhance their AI offerings. The use of recognizable voices could potentially make AI tools more appealing to users, thus driving user engagement and growth for the company. However, the negotiations highlight the ongoing debate over the ethical use of AI, particularly in terms of job displacement and the rights of individuals to their own voice. The outcome of these discussions could set a precedent for future collaborations between tech companies and celebrities. Read Next: Zuckerberg's Life-Changing Advice To Young People This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Image: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta bids millions for celebrity voices in AI race

Meta Platforms Inc. is offering Hollywood celebrities millions of dollars for the right to record and use their voices for artificial intelligence projects, according to several people familiar with the negotiations. The company is talking with Judi Dench, Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is confidential. Representatives for Meta declined to comment. Meta, the 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's not entirely clear how Meta will be using the voices, it has discussed a chatbot that could serve as a digital assistant, à 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 can't agree on terms for use of 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 artificial intelligence has spooked many in the Hollywood creative community who fear losing work as a result of the technology. Screenwriters and actors fought for protections against the use of AI during labor stoppages last year. Yet SAG-AFTRA, the primary unions for actors, has reached an agreement with Meta on terms, according to the people. Meta has experimented with creating text-based chatbots inspired by celebrities like Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton. The company has already ended that program. It has also unveiled an AI studio that allows content creators to make chatbots of themselves.

Meta in Talks to Use Voices of Judi Dench, Awkwafina and Others for A.I.

Mike Isaac reports on Meta. Nicole Sperling reports on Hollywood. Meta is in discussions with Awkwafina, Judi Dench and other actors and influencers for the right to incorporate their voices into a digital assistant product called MetaAI, according to three people with knowledge of the talks, as the company pushes to build more products that feature artificial intelligence. Apart from Ms. Dench and Awkwafina, Meta is in talks with the comedian Keegan-Michael Key and other celebrities, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. They added that all of Hollywood's top talent agencies were involved in negotiations with the tech giant. The talks remain fluid, and it is unclear which actors and influencers, if any, may sign on to the project, the people said. If the parties come to an agreement, Meta could pay millions of dollars in fees to the actors. A Meta spokesman declined to comment. The discussions were reported earlier by Bloomberg. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, which the biggest tech companies are racing to develop and lead. Meta has plowed billions into weaving the technology into its social networking apps and advertising business, including by creating artificially intelligent characters that could chat through text across its messaging apps. On Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive, increased how much his company would spend on A.I. and other expenses this year to at least $37 billion, up from $30 billion at the beginning of 2024. Mr. Zuckerberg said he would rather build too fast "rather than too late" to prevent his competitors from gaining an edge in the A.I. race. One area of A.I. that is rapidly emerging are chatbots with voice abilities, which act as virtual assistants. In May, OpenAI, a leading A.I. company, unveiled a version of its ChatGPT chatbot that could receive and respond to voice commands, images and videos. It was part of a wider effort to combine conversational chatbots with voice assistants like the Google Assistant and Apple's Siri. OpenAI later suspended the release of its voice-related ChatGPT after the actress Scarlett Johansson, who had provided the voice for an A.I. system in Spike Jonze's 2013 movie, "Her," accused the company of using a voice "eerily similar to mine" despite her refusals to participate in the product. Meta is angling to strike deals with celebrities in a way that avoids ticking off top talent. Under the terms of the proposed contract, Meta would record the voices of these celebrities for potential use in MetaAI, which users could interact with and ask questions across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, as well as Meta's Ray-Ban augmented reality glasses, the people said. Any deal would be for a set period and could be renewed or terminated when the contract was up. Actors would not release the rights to their voices indefinitely. Meta is trying to lock down the deals in time for its Connect technology conference in late September, when the company plans to debut new A.I.-focused products. At last year's conference, Meta introduced digital chatbots that had the likenesses of Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady and MrBeast, but few people used the text-based characters. The company wound down the initiative last month. Last year, the SAG-AFTRA union, which represents more than 150,000 television and movie actors, went on strike as negotiations over a new agreement with the Hollywood studios -- including how to deal with the rise of A.I. -- stalled. Actors eventually secured a three-year deal with a provision that says the studios cannot use A.I. tools to create digital replicas of performers without payment or approval. Still, many union members remain dissatisfied with the provision. Other subsets of the entertainment industry, like editors, animators and voice actors, are also concerned that A.I. will put them out of work. Actors with the union initiated a separate strike last week against video game companies that use actors' images and voices in their games.

Meta in talks to use voices of Judi Dench, Awkwafina and others for AI

Meta negotiated with actors like Awkwafina and Judi Dench to use their voices for its AI assistant, MetaAI. These voices could be integrated into platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The deals are part of Meta's push into AI, with contracts potentially involving millions in payments to celebrities, amidst increased AI investment.Meta is in discussions with Awkwafina, Judi Dench and other actors and influencers for the right to incorporate their voices into a digital assistant product called MetaAI, according to three people with knowledge of the talks, as the company pushes to build more products that feature artificial intelligence. Apart from Dench and Awkwafina, Meta is in talks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key and other celebrities, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. They added that all of Hollywood's top talent agencies were involved in negotiations with the tech giant. The talks remain fluid, and it is unclear which actors and influencers, if any, may sign on to the project, the people said. If the parties come to an agreement, Meta could pay millions of dollars in fees to the actors. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment. The discussions were reported earlier by Bloomberg. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, which the biggest tech companies are racing to develop and lead. Meta has plowed billions into weaving the technology into its social networking apps and advertising business, including by creating artificially intelligent characters that could chat through text across its messaging apps. On Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced an increase in how much his company would spend on AI and other expenses this year to at least $37 billion, up from $30 billion at the beginning of 2024. Zuckerberg said he would rather build too fast "rather than too late" to prevent his competitors from gaining an edge in the AI race. One area of AI that is rapidly emerging are chatbots with voice abilities, which act as virtual assistants. In May, OpenAI, a leading AI company that has partnered with Microsoft, unveiled a version of its ChatGPT chatbot that could receive and respond to voice commands, images and videos. It was part of a wider effort to combine conversational chatbots with voice assistants including the Google Assistant and Apple's Siri. OpenAI later suspended the release of its voice-related ChatGPT after actress Scarlett Johansson, who had provided the voice for an AI system in Spike Jonze's 2013 movie, "Her," accused the company of using a voice "eerily similar to mine" despite her refusals to participate in the product. Meta is angling to strike deals with celebrities in a way that avoids angering top talent. Under the terms of the proposed contract, Meta would record the voices of these celebrities for potential use in MetaAI, which users could interact with and ask questions across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, as well as Meta's Ray-Ban augmented reality glasses, the people said. Any deal would be for a set period and could be renewed or terminated when the contract was up. Actors would not release the rights to their voices indefinitely. Meta is trying to lock down the deals in time for its Connect technology conference in late September, when the company plans to debut new AI-focused products. At last year's conference, Meta introduced digital chatbots that had the likenesses of Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady and MrBeast, but few people used the text-based characters. The company wound down the initiative last month. Last year, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union, which represents more than 150,000 television and movie actors, went on strike as negotiations over a new agreement with the Hollywood studios -- including how to deal with the rise of AI -- stalled. Actors eventually secured a three-year deal with a provision that says the studios cannot use AI tools to create digital replicas of performers without payment or approval. Still, many union members remain dissatisfied with the provision. Other subsets of the entertainment industry, like editors, animators and voice actors, are also concerned that AI will put them out of work. Actors with the union initiated a separate strike last week against video game companies that use actors' images and voices in their games.

Meta offering Hollywood stars millions of dollars for AI voice projects

The company is talking with Judi Dench, Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is confidential. Representatives for Meta declined to comment. Meta, the 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's not entirely clear how Meta will be using the voices, it has discussed a chatbot that could serve as a digital assistant, à la Apple's Siri, or a friend, the people said. Users could speak with a chatbot that has the voice of Awkwafina, for example.

Meta in talks to use voices of Judi Dench, Awkwafina for A.I., NYT says

Aug 2 (Reuters) - Meta is in discussions with actors such as Awkwafina and Judi Dench, as well as influencers, for the right to use their voices in its MetaAI digital assistant product, the New York Times said on Friday. The social media giant is also in talks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key, among other celebrities, and Hollywood's top talent agencies were involved in negotiations, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter. While details such as who may sign on are still uncertain, the paper said Meta could pay millions of dollars in fees to the actors if a deal was reached. Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. On Wednesday, Meta signaled it would continue to spend big on AI infrastructure. Like many tech peers, it has been plowing billions of dollars into its data centers to capitalize on the boom in generative artificial intelligence. (Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Meta in talks to use voices of Judi Dench, Awkwafina for AI: Report

Meta is in discussions with actors such as Awkwafina and Judi Dench, as well as influencers, for the right to use their voices in its MetaAI digital assistant product, the New York Times said on Friday. The social media giant is also in talks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key, among other celebrities, and Hollywood's top talent agencies were involved in negotiations, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter. While details such as who may sign on are still uncertain, the paper said Meta could pay millions of dollars in fees to the actors if a deal was reached. 'Trump shooting didn't happen': Meta's AI assistant says; company blames hallucinations for incorrect response (Unravel the complexities of our digital world on The Interface podcast, where business leaders and scientists share insights that shape tomorrow's innovation. The Interface is also available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.) Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. On Wednesday, Meta signalled it would continue to spend big on AI infrastructure. Like many tech peers, it has been plowing billions of dollars into its data centers to capitalise on the boom in generative artificial intelligence. Read Comments

Meta Is Offering Hollywood Stars Millions for AI Voice Projects

Meta Platforms Inc. is offering Hollywood celebrities millions of dollars for the right to record and use their voices for artificial intelligence projects, according to several people familiar with the negotiations. The company is talking with Judi Dench, Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is confidential. Representatives for Meta declined to comment.