AI Stokes Concerns Among Political Voiceover Talent

Generative artificial intelligence is starting to take a toll on voiceover talent and agencies as political creatives explore ways to deploy the emerging technology in ad-making.

While the use of AI voiceovers in political advertising is still limited – mostly confined to rough cuts and demos before an ad goes to air – voiceover artists and agents told Campaigns & Elections that they’re already feeling the effects on their business. 

Human voice talent hasn’t been replaced by AI entirely, they say. But as the technology advances and becomes easier – and more convenient – to use, they fear that more campaigns, consultants and ad agencies could begin to eschew voice casting in favor of AI narration. 

“It’s definitely affecting my talent. It’s definitely affecting my business,” said Lisa Ristau, a talent agent and the owner of Impress Talent. “Will my business and talent be needed in a few years? Maybe not.” 

As generative AI has improved, Ristau said that she’s even become concerned about having voice demos on her agency’s website, fearing that AI could use an audio clip to replicate her talents’ voices. Services like ElevenLabs and Speechify can effectively clone a person’s voice with only a few seconds of sample audio, and there are few safeguards in place  to prevent a voice from being replicated without the original speaker’s knowledge.

“Technology is improving and improving,” Ristau said. “Could it pull someone’s 90-second demo and use that to create something in their voice?”

A growing number of states have enacted regulations around the use of AI in political advertising, including requiring disclaimers on ads that use AI-generated content. Those laws have left some political ad makers wary of leaning too heavily on the technology out of concern that they could run afoul of regulations that vary by state.