The article discusses how James Earl Jones, the iconic voice behind Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, has signed over the rights to his voice to a Ukrainian AI company called Respeecher. The company has created an AI model that can generate new lines of dialogue in Jones’ voice, allowing his iconic performance to live on even after he retires from acting. The technology works by analyzing recordings of Jones’ voice and learning the nuances and patterns, enabling it to generate new lines that sound indistinguishable from the original. This move ensures that future Star Wars projects can continue to feature Darth Vader’s iconic voice without requiring Jones to re-record lines. The article highlights the potential of AI voice technology to preserve and extend the legacy of iconic performances, while also raising ethical questions about the use of an actor’s voice without their direct involvement.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/james-earl-jones-darth-vader-voice-lives-ai-113578164