AI in Entertainment by cyrus jazayery

Personalized Overview

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-03 19:16:30 UTC

I chose to explore AI used in the entertainment industry mainly because it is the aspect of AI where I have the strongest feelings towards. While there exists discrepancies with the technology in all walks of life, it is the most blatant here. Entertainment requires a degree of originality, which defies the way AI operates. In this padlet wall I will discuss multiple examples of its implementation in various forms of media - some that I have little issue with, but mostly illustrating unethical misuse. Then I will expand further on the potential for the future and why ethics of AI are so complicated, connecting some of the points brought up within the examples. Lastly I will examine the overall societal implications that partially transfer over from other industries, and some that are unique to entertainment. This exploration will highlight how deeply AI is beginning to shape creative industries while questioning whether this shift undermines the value of human artistry. Rather than presenting it as a neutral development, my focus is on the risks and ethical concerns that arise when originality is replaced by automated imitation, urging a more cautious approach to its role in entertainment moving forward.

AI‑Driven Voice Dubbing & Cloning

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-03 19:18:51 UTC

AI voice dubbing is transforming how global platforms like Netflix and Disney adapt content, using synthetic voices that can match emotional tone and lip movements for multiple languages. This process relies on generative neural text‑to‑speech and deep learning emotion transfer models. The technology dramatically reduces costs and turnaround times, making simultaneous worldwide releases more feasible and ensuring consistency in voice quality. However, the rise of AI dubbing poses significant challenges: professional voice actors have raised concerns over job security, cultural nuances are often lost in machine‑generated performances, and ongoing debates about consent and intellectual property remain unresolved. I support this usage of AI, despite not believing in dubbing in general. Beyond the loss of original creative vision that dubbed versions of movies/tv shows tend to deal with, they also are usually not very high quality and the overlayed nature of the vocals completely distorts the soundstage of the entire film. By manipulating the original vocals to mimic the tonality and expressions of the actors, AI can effectively repurpose the voices to speak in whichever language desired. Although, current AI limitations cause noticeable inconsistencies in sounding natural and culturally accurate.

AI‑Generated Drake & The Weeknd Song “Heart on My Sleeve”

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-03 19:22:29 UTC

In 2023, a viral track titled “Heart on My Sleeve” mimicked the voices and style of Drake and The Weeknd using AI, gaining millions of streams before being removed. This track was created with voice cloning and deep learning models trained on the artists’ vocal data. The creator most likely used a method where a reference track is recorded using an original voice, and an AI-generated filter is applied based on an aggregated sampling of all instances of Drake & The Weeknd's voice. The incident demonstrated AI’s ability to convincingly replicate famous voices, sparking debates about creativity and copyright. While it highlighted opportunities for fan creativity and novel collaborations, it also raised major legal challenges around unauthorized use of artists’ likenesses and potential for misleading or fraudulent releases. When I first heard this, I had no idea it was completely fabricated. Not just the accent, pitch or any obvious trait of their voice, but even their inflections, pauses between breaths, cadences and adlibs were spot on.

AI‑Powered Virtual Character in Fortnite

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-03 19:47:45 UTC

In May of 2025, Epic Games introduced an AI-controlled Darth Vader character in Fortnite, equipped with conversational AI and the digitally recreated voice of the late James Earl Jones. This leveraged natural language processing for in-game dialogue and voice synthesis using AI models trained on old recordings. The experience offered highly immersive storytelling and dynamic player interaction; players could engage Vader in real-time conversations. Yet, unexpected or inappropriate behavior (e.g., swearing, racism) has raised concerns about AI safety, control, and autonomy. Additionally, the unauthorized use of Jones’s voice without proper union negotiations sparked criticism from SAG‑AFTRA around labor rights, consent, and the ethics of replicating iconic performers. I personally was amazed by the decision from Epic Games to so liberally incorporate AI into Fortnite. I have been playing for many years, and I thought it was made clear that they played it safe when exposing their userbase to unwanted/explicit features; it is possible since the new CCO (Charlie Wen) took over, there has been a change in direction for the game.

Future Trends and Ethical Considerations

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-03 20:24:51 UTC

Legislative efforts - such as the EU’s AI Act and new U.S. guidelines - are pushing for clearer labeling of AI-generated content and the establishment of fair licensing and transparency standards. These measures aim to separate human from machine‑made works while safeguarding creators’ rights and informing audiences about the origins of what they watch or hear. I am eager to see how this pans out, with the hope that the flow of human creative expression will not be disrupted by AI. Moreover, AI’s reliance on massive datasets has triggered major legal and ethical debates over who truly owns the resulting work. Content creators argue that their intellectual property is being used without permission or compensation, while AI developers claim that training on publicly available material falls under fair use. I find myself siding with the creators in this matter; artists already call their lawyers the minute another song appears to interpolate some aspect of one of their songs without permission, how should unauthorized usage of their likeness in totality be validated under the veil of data training? The difficulty with this - and why there are quite a few successful "artists" that operate as AI versions of their human counterpart - is the lack of explicit legislation protecting the voice of any given person. An artist's voice is only protected by the recording it is featured in, not any of the features that define it. As long as the person imitating their voice uses their own recording, it is not a copyright infringement. It is clear that our laws are not updated to reflect the development of technology.

Societal Impact

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-03 22:00:17 UTC

AI increasingly performs routine creative and administrative tasks in entertainment - from editing to junior writing - threatening entry-level and mid-level creative positions. I found that I originally did not consider how those in creative fields would be impacted by AI - in fact, I actually thought they would remain unnaffected or even have leverage due to the difference in quality. However, that view was limited to earlier versions of LLMs; more recently, it has become apparent that generative AI is capable of video, image and sound that many deem acceptable in lieu of commissioned work. This is something that hurts my heart. Furthermore, AI-generated deepfake videos or audio can be deployed in entertainment to mislead audiences, challenging trust in media and potentially impacting elections and public opinion. I dislike the ease-of-access AI offers in this regard - despite how useful it can be for general use; it gives too many people the ability to create visual or audible content - the type that has the most impact/influence on viewers - supporting any message they want with minimal effort. I wish we could magically fast-forward through this learning curve process for lawmakers and regulators, where AI can be harvested for maximal efficiency while our online infrastructures limit the exploitation possible by users.

Citations

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-03 22:39:02 UTC

Chmielewski, D. (2025, July 30). Voice actors push back as AI threatens dubbing industry. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/voice-actors-push-back-ai-threatens-dubbing-industry-2025-07-30/

Rationale: Shows real-world labor disputes caused by AI voice dubbing

Snapes, L. (2023, April 18). AI song featuring fake Drake and Weeknd vocals pulled from streaming services. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/18/ai-song-featuring-fake-drake-and-weeknd-vocals-pulled-from-streaming-services

Rationale: Provides a concrete example of public backlash and legal challenges around AI-generated music using celebrity voices.

Business Insider Staff. (2025, May). Fortnite’s AI‑powered Darth Vader is everything alarming and exciting about AI. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/fortnite-darth-vader-ai-risks-potential-disney-epic-games-2025-5

Rationale: Demonstrates AI’s role in interactive entertainment and the mixed reactions it has generated among players and critics.

BSR. (2025, May 6). The EU AI Act: Where Do We Stand in 2025? BSR. https://www.bsr.org/en/blog/the-eu-ai-act-where-do-we-stand-in-2025

Rationale: Outlines key regulatory measures and transparency requirements central to ethical AI debates in entertainment.

Lucchi, N. (2025, June). EU‑commissioned study on generative AI & copyright recommends moving from opt‑out to opt‑in for using creators’ works in training data. PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/eu-commissioned-study-on-generative-ai-and-copyright-suggests-overturning-the-current-opt-out-approach-that-effectively-treats-silence-as-consent/

Rationale: Explains evolving copyright frameworks and the shift toward stronger protections for artists against unlicensed AI training.

TRENDS Research & Advisory. (2024). AI in entertainment: Balancing innovation and data protection. TRENDS Research. https://trendsresearch.org/insight/ai-in-entertainment-balancing-innovation-and-data-protection/

Rationale: Examines how AI in creative industries raises privacy concerns while balancing innovation with protection.

Reuters. (2024, April 17). Key unknowns about AI: What is law, who is responsible? Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/key-unknowns-about-ai-what-is-law-who-is-responsible-2024-04-17/

Rationale: Examines legal ambiguity surrounding AI misuse, particularly relevant to misinformation and deepfake risks in entertainment.

Overview Video

cyrusjazayery33 — 2025-08-04 01:38:38 UTC