'I feel threatened': French voice actor of Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Affleck
Boris Rehlinger, the French voice behind Ben Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, says he's worried about AI taking over dubbing jobs.
"I feel threatened even though my voice hasn't been replaced by AI yet," he shared, as part of a group fighting to keep human voices in films.
The dubbing industry is booming
The dubbing industry is booming—expected to reach $7.6 billion by 2033—with streaming giants like Netflix localizing global hits.
But as studios look to AI for faster and cheaper dubbing (think instant lip-sync), actors and unions across Europe are pushing for clear rules to protect creative jobs and make sure voices aren't used without permission.
Voice actors have launched campaigns demanding transparency and consent
Voice actors have launched campaigns demanding transparency and consent before their voices get used by AI, gathering over 75,000 signatures so far.
In the US, contracts are being updated to limit how much studios can rely on AI for dubbing work.
Some companies are now trying a mix of human and AI dubbing—but the debate is far from over.