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Subject: Re: R.I.P. James Earl Jones (Star Wars, Lion King, etc.)
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 > > > > In article <vboekc>,
 > > > >  Your Name <YourName> wrote:
 > > > > 
 > > > > James Earl Jones' Darth Vader Has Already Been Immortalized
With AI
 > > > >
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 > > > > James Earl Jones died Monday at the age of 93. But long
before he
 > > > > did, he gave Lucasfilm permission to recreate his iconic
Darth
 > > > > Vader voice for shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi.
 > > > > 
 > > > > If anyone could make the Dark Side sound good, it was James
Earl
 > > > > Jones. The actor, who died Monday at the age of 93, provided
the
 > > > > voice for Darth Vader in more than a dozen Star Wars
properties,
 > > > > from A New Hope to Star Tours. He made the Force sound
ominous in a
 > > > > way that made it appealing. With his passing, it feels as
though all
 > > > > the power and gravitas and respect he brought to the
character is
 > > > > gone.
 > > > > 
 > > > > It's not. It's in the hands of AI.
 > > > > 
 > > > > A few years ago, when Jones provided a few lines of dialog as
Vader
 > > > > for The Rise of Skywalker, he'd expressed interest in
wrapping up
 > > > > his time as the Sith Lord, according to Vanity Fair.
Lucasfilm, in
 > > > > need of a way to continue the character - and particular to
 > > > > continue having a version of the character's voice as it
sounded in
 > > > > those early Star Wars movies - turned to a Ukrainian company
called
 > > > > Respeecher that used artificial intelligence to make a
recreation of
 > > > > the Vader voice based on Jones' past performances. (The actor
signed
 > > > > off on the use of his archive to train the speech model.)
 > > > > 
 > > > > Jones' passing marks a pivotal moment in the future of
AI-generated
 > > > > performances. During last year's prolonged Hollywood actors'
strike,
 > > > > one of the biggest sticking points between the Screen Actors
 > > > > Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists,
or
 > > > > SAG-AFTRA, and the studios was whether or not studios needed
to
 > > > > secure permission to use a past performance to train AI
models.
 > > > > Ultimately, SAG won guardrails around the use of AI in
recreating
 > > > > performances. Now the question is: How will those play out
with
 > > > > Darth Vader?
 > > > > 
 > > > > It's a particularly interesting question when it comes to
voice
 > > > > acting specifically. The full recreation of vocals may feel
further
 > > > > along than the full recreation of whole performances, but
they also
 > > > > feel more poignant.
 > > > > 
 > > > > When Paul McCartney used AI to help fashion a Beatles song
from
 > > > > tapes made when the Fab Four were still alive, the results
felt
 > > > > haunted. When OpenAI released a demo of its voice assistant
Sky and
 > > > > Scarlett Johansson believed it sounded much like the voice
she used
 > > > > in Her, she was "shocked, angered, and in
disbelief" that the
 > > > > company "would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily
similar to
 > > > > mine." OpenAI denied she was the inspiration but paused
the demo.
 > > > > Video game voice actors are on strike right now to get
protections
 > > > > for their vocal performances. Voices, it seems, are currently
at
 > > > > their highest value.
 > > > > 
 > > > > Ultimately, what will now happen to the Darth Vader voice is
not
 > > > > really a question of rights-Jones gave permission - but
rather one
 > > > > of emotion. Will Lucasfilm, or its parent company Disney,
want to
 > > > > produce future Star Wars shows or movies featuring AI Vader
 > > > > following Jones' death?
 > > > > 
 > > > 
 > > > 
 > > > Wasn't that the whole point of securing the rights from Jones
and 
 > > > creating the AI version in the first place? If Jones's death
makes it 
 > > > 'too creepy' or something to use the AI in new projects, then
what was 
 > > > the point of doing it all in the first place?
 > > > 
 > > > With a character as iconic as Vader, should there be a point
at
 > > > which fans let go?
 > > > 
 > > > From Audrey Hepburn selling Dove chocolates to hologram Tupac,
 > > > posthumous performances have been a part of pop culture for
years.
 > > > But unlike Audrey and Pac, Jones is in on the plan; he is
 > > > seemingly the first celebrity to have allowed his iconic
presence
 > > > to be recreated with AI before his passing. What will likely
 > > > decide how well AI Vader goes over is how it's handled. A
Darth
 > > > Vader feature film may not be as warmly received as, say, a
Force
 > > > ghost cameo
 > > > 
 > > 
 > > 
 > > A Force ghost cameo would have Hayden Christiansen's voice, not
Jones's.
 > > 
 > > or a flashback. It'll be a test to see how welcomed
 > > the character will be now that the man behind it is gone.
 > > 
 > BTR1701 wrote:
 > 
 > 
 > As a fan, I wouldn't have any problem with it at all since I know
Jones 
 > gave his blessing and was presumably well paid for it.


The primary goal of securing such rights is often to preserve and
extend the legacy of the individual, allowing their presence to
continue in new projects even after their passing. However, the
emotional impact on audiences and the ethical implications can
complicate this intention. Some people might find it unsettling or
disrespectful to use an AI version of a deceased person, which can
lead to hesitation or backlash.

In essence, while the technical and legal groundwork might be in place
to use the AI, the human element—how people feel about it—plays a
crucial role in determining whether it’s appropriate to proceed.
Balancing respect for the individual’s legacy with audience sentiment
is a delicate task.
 

This is a response to the post seen at:
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=673581561#673581561