Photo: Sergione Infuso/Corbis (Getty Images)
Sara Poyzer, an actress who starred in the stage production of Mamma Mia! for over 10 years, will be replaced by AI in an upcoming production for the BBC. “Sobering…” said the star in response to a crass email from producers posted in a tweet Tuesday.
“Sorry for the delay,” said a producer via email. “We have had the approval from BBC to use the AI-generated voice so we won’t need Sara anymore.”
The BBC sent a statement sent to Gizmodo noting “important context” for this use of AI. The company is making a “highly sensitive documentary” featuring a contributor nearing the end of their life who is now unable to speak.
“In these very particular circumstances and with the family’s wishes in mind we have agreed to use AI for a brief section to recreate a voice which can now no longer be heard,” said a BBC spokesperson in a statement. “This will be clearly labelled within the film.”
Poyzer played Donna, the same role Meryl Streep plays in the movie version of Mamma Mia!, performing on stages around the world for the last decade. She’s one of the more prominent actors to be replaced by AI. Poyzer was met with frustration and sympathy from the rest of the acting world in replies on X and Instagram. However, Poyzer’s tweet did not include the full context.
“This
is
why
we
all
need
to
stand
strong
in
the
face
of
AI,”
said
the
Voice
Squad,
a
voiceover
agency
that
represents
Poyzer,
on
X.
“Sara
has
our
total
backing
over
this.”
“This
is
awful,”
said
one
actor.
“It’s
so
out
of
order
-
shameful,”
said
an
artist
on
Instagram.
“There
needs
to
be
transparency
so
we
can
choose
to
avoid
watching/listening
to
such
shows.”
The
BBC
came
under
fire
recently
for
using
generative
AI
to
promote
Doctor
Who.
In
that
case,
the
company
used
AI
to
create
emails
and
images
to
promote
the
popular
series.
The
company
decided
to
stop
injecting
AI
into
Doctor
Who
after
an
immediate
and
fierce
backlash
from
fans.
AI voice technology is significantly more advanced than AI video generation at the moment, so voice actors could be first on the chopping block if generative AI is really going to take the jobs of actors.
Voice
actors,
just
like
other
actors,
are
fighting
the
wave
of
generative
AI
in
the
media
industry.
The
national
actors
union,
SAG-AFTRA,
just
went
on
strike
to
guarantee
actors
wouldn’t
be
replaced
by
AI,
among
other
protections.
Though
the
BBC
is
using
AI
for
very
specific
and
sensitive
circumstances,
the
incident
raises
a
broader
question
of
how
producers should
be
able
to
use
technology
to
replace
actors.
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