Would you watch a foreign film that was AI dubbed to sound like the original actors?
An Argentinian horror fantasy film called The witches’ game is coming to theaters in the US and UK, but the Spanish-language film doesn’t rely on subtitles or English speakers to narrate its performances. Instead, AI tools will mimic the voices of the original actors and make them speak English. It’s a controversial move because it’s a concrete example of the frequent warnings that AI is taking people’s jobs.
The witches’ game tells the story of a woman who receives a VR headset for her 18th birthday, which can send her to a creepy magical school in another world. Directly inspired by Harry Potter, The witches’ game is directed by rising horror star Fabian Forte.
The performers speak Spanish for the film, which usually means hiring subtitles or voice actors to dub the film for non-Spanish speaking audiences. Instead, the English dialogue sounds like the original actors, dubbed into English using AI. The technology translates and synchronizes the characters’ voices to recreate the original tone and emotion of the speech. On the one hand, it is a way to preserve the original performance. It is also cheaper, which makes worldwide distribution of independent films more feasible.
And there is certainly demand for this kind of technology. Companies like Papercup, DeepDub, DubFormer, D-ID ElevenLabs and others have all developed their own version of the same translation and recopy tools. Most are still in their early stages or are more focused on marketing and individually created videos. But there is growing interest in what AI voices can do for movies. That’s one reason why the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) recently went on strike and demanded certain guarantees from production companies before agreeing to a new contract.
AI dubbing
Voice actors are understandably outspoken critics of AI dubbing. It takes away opportunities for professionals who know how to evoke the right emotion and match the cadence of dialogue in other languages, even if they don’t sound exactly like the original interpreters. That could be a good thing, since AI can’t create subtext or play with complexity, let alone be spontaneous with adjusting line readings.
There are also questions about consent and compensation when using AI. Will the original actors get the right to reject an AI voice clone? Do they get paid for each additional language their voice clone outputs?
Some artists with real power in Hollywood have already taken a stand. Robert Downey Jr. promised lawsuits from beyond the grave if a studio deployed an AI clone of his voice or appearance. California has passed a law banning the unauthorized use of AI clones, but who knows what impact this will have on cinema worldwide. On the other hand, James Earl Jones agreed to let Disney use his voice for future Darth Vader projects before his recent passing. His contract specifies how and when his AI voice clone can be used, but the template is there.
These questions may not apply to The witches’ gamebecause it is a relatively niche film, made on a non-Hollywood budget, in search of a wider reach. However, should it prove to be a success, it’s easy to imagine other indie filmmakers around the world making a similar decision.