Ethical AI Voiceover Use: A Practical Guide for Voice Over Clients

The Framework for Ethical AI Voiceover

As a voice actor, it's my job to understand what's happening in the voice over industry so I can stay relevant and effective. AI is no exception.

Over the past few years I've talked to clients, voice actors, and agents about AI. Opinions on all sides are strong and varied, informed and uninformed.

With that in mind, I've taken the plunge and cloned my voice with some of the top services in the game—Murf, ElevenLabs, and Respeecher. The result is a digital "me" that sounds uncannily like the real thing. Just listen to my demo.

FYI I created that demo using Elevenlabs and the individual spots below the demo using Murf. I cloned my voice via Murf in early 2022 and Elevenlabs in late 2024. You can clearly hear a difference in how the technology has evolved.

As a voice seeker, you may have already used synthetic voices as part of your production process, are considering it, or have decided that you will never use AI in any capacity.

Regardless of your stance, this blog is meant to educate voice over clients like you how to navigate this "new world" of voice over that includes AI.

An Ethical Guide to Partnering With a Synthetic Voice

To navigate this complex landscape, we need a clear and reliable standard. Fortunately, we don't have to invent one.

The National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA), an organization at the forefront of this issue, has established an ethical framework that I fully endorse. It's built on what they call the "Three C's," which provide a simple but powerful guide for any responsible partnership.

Consent

When you use a synthetic voice like mine, you're not just buying an audio file; you're licensing a performance. True consent means a clear, project-by-project agreement. You tell me how and where my voice will be used, and I knowingly give it the thumbs-up.

This is a core tenet of NAVA's AI Rider, a document I encourage all clients to review. You can find more information about it at navavoices.org under the AI Resources tab.

Control

The human voice artist needs to be able to review scripts and have the final say on the projects the synthetic voice is attached to. This isn't about being a control freak; it’s about protecting my brand and ensuring my voice—real or synthetic—is always associated with quality and integrity.

Compensation

The old model of a one-time buyout just doesn’t work for a digital asset that can be used an infinite number of times. Fair compensation means creating a licensing structure where the original artist is paid for the ongoing use of their synthetic voice. It’s a simple concept: if my voice is working, it should be earning.

Practical, Ethical Uses for My AI Voice

So, where can an AI voice fit in to your projects, ethically and financially? Here are a few examples:

• Scratch Tracks: Need a temporary voiceover for timing and editing before I record the final version? An AI voice like mine is perfect for that.

• Corrections and Pickups: If I've already recorded a project and a few lines need to be changed, my AI voice can seamlessly make those corrections without the need for a full new recording session, saving time and studio costs.

• Unlocking New Revenue Streams: An AI voice makes large-scale audio projects financially and logistically feasible for the first time. This could be creating a phone tree for a company with thousands of employees, narrating newspapers for the visually impaired, or voicing thousands of product manuals that would have otherwise remained unvoiced. This technology opens up entirely new markets and revenue streams for you.

How You Can Use My AI Voice: The Three Paths

To make this as clear as possible, here are the three primary ways we can collaborate when you want to use my synthetic voice for your project. Each path is designed to be flexible while upholding the ethical standards we've discussed.

1. Direct Voice Cloning License: For clients who need maximum control and plan to use the voice across multiple projects, we can create a direct licensing agreement. In this scenario, your team clones my voice for your exclusive use under terms we define together. This is an enterprise-level solution that ensures a deep, ethical partnership for long-term use.

2. Collaborative Platform Projects: This is the most common partnership model. We use a service like Murf, ElevenLabs, or Respeecher as a shared workspace. Your team manages the project, and I remain in the loop to consult on the performance and ensure the final audio meets your standards and aligns with my ethical rider. This keeps me involved and guarantees quality.

3. Subscription-Based Platform Access: For clients who need speed and autonomy, you can access my pre-existing voice clone directly through a subscription on these platforms. This path is possible because I have a master agreement with each service that governs the ethical use of my voice, ensuring my consent, control, and compensation are respected behind the scenes. It provides you with ease of use, backed by an ethical framework.

A Partnership, Not a Replacement

Let me make an important point.

This isn't about replacing 'Human Tom' with 'AI Tom.' It's about expanding the toolkit available to you.

There are times where the needs of the end-client and the project demand the theatre-trained artist with 25+ years of voice acting experience that is me.

There are other times that depending on speed, scale, and budget, AI Tom is the right choice.

You as a voice over client need to be empowered with options, especially considering the uncertainty of our industry's future on a technological, economic, logistical, and social level.

So, You Want to Hire My AI Twin? Let's Talk!

While I've cloned my voice on multiple platforms, the best way to ensure we check all the ethical boxes above and address both your and your end-clients' pain points is to work together directly. Think of me as your AI Voice Concierge.

By contacting me directly, we can:

• Discuss your company's specific needs based on the type of content you produce and the type of end-clients you usually work with.

• Agree on a framework for licensing agreements that covers our "Three C's" and prevents conflicts.

• Ensure the final products my synthesized voices can make are something we're both proud of.

Ready to step into the future of voiceover? Drop me an email at tom@tomdheere.com or call me at 973.216.3808.

Thanks For Reading!

To learn more about me, hear some samples, or download my demos, just go to www.tomdheere.com.

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Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over 25 years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps other voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.