‘Devouring hydra’: French cinema stars warn AI is ‘plundering’ industry

AI

Paris –  Just days before France’s version of the Oscars, thousands of French actors and filmmakers have warned that AI tools are “plundering” talent across the industry.

“We are facing a profound upheaval in our profession with the arrival of artificial intelligence,” said the op-ed in Le Parisien, which was signed by some 4,000 artists.Signatories included many of French cinema’s brightest and best, such as actors Swann Arlaud, Franck Dubosc and Elodie Bouchez.

While artificial intelligence was “extraordinarily valuable in certain fields”, they said it was a “devouring hydra for artists like us”.

The op-ed, released ahead of the 51st edition of the French film industry’s Cesar Awards, warned of the rise of “unauthorised voice cloning” which has taken the industry by storm.

“Not a week goes by without an artist sounding the alarm over the brutal competition AI is inflicting on their work,” it said.

It also pointed to the hundreds of lesser-known artists who “can’t afford to refuse a contract” and sign away their voices to AI “despite the risks to their image and their future”.

“This organised plundering is not hypothetical – it’s happening here and now. It’s intolerable and it’s taking place before our very eyes.”

The artists called for a clear “legal framework” so that AI can “coexist with artistic work, with the protection of copyright and related rights”.

In recent months, the industry has introduced various initiatives to tackle the threat posed by AI and the flood of content replicating artists and their voices almost perfectly.

In January, eight French voice actors sent formal notices to two US companies that had cloned their voices without consent.

Actors have also taken to the streets of Paris under the slogan “Touche pas a ma VF” (Hands off my French dub).

The debate goes far beyond France. Last week, Hollywood heavyweights accused the Chinese software Seedance 2.0, built by TikTok owner ByteDance, of copyright infringement after AI-generated videos, including of Tom Cruise brawling with Brad Pitt, went viral.

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