What if 'The Simpsons' were voiced by artificial intelligence?
Deep fake technologies, if put to good use, can help animators cut down the cost of dubbing and the shows can continue with the trademark voices even after voice actors depart
Image: Fox
The emergence of deepfake technology could well upend the entertainment industry. This technology, which allows for the creation of 'hijacked" videos by realistically modifying faces and reproducing voices thanks to artificial intelligence, could soon help animated series producers replace voice actors who are approaching retirement or simply too expensive.
With more than 30 years of archived voices of its characters, "The Simpsons" could represent a kind of laboratory for the development of artificial intelligence-powered synthetic voices. For the moment, the technology can reproduce a voice quite accurately, but not necessarily convey emotion well. In the case of "The Simpsons," it would be quite easy to make Homer or Marge speak with a voice almost identical to that of their dubbers, but with a certain coldness. Finally, there are the legal problems concerning the ownership and exploitation of these "voices."
A first experiment was however carried out at the beginning of the year, with the broadcasting of an episode featuring the character of Edna Krabappel, which required the use and mixing of old film files of Marcia Wallace, her official double who died in 2013.
In France, in 2020, the series "Plus belle la vie" created a splash by being the first to use deepfake technology to compensate for the absence of one of its actresses. She was momentarily replaced by another actress, but her face and voice were overlaid in the video in a way that was imperceptible to the viewer. The results were amazing.
Last Updated :
August 23, 21 05:00:24 PM IST