Well, it’s official now. The voice of Goku shall be forever immortalized.
In recent years, the use of artificial intelligence has become increasingly widespread and controversial. Many people are pointing out how programs like ChatGPT and the like can easily be used to replace the jobs of actual people. Worse, many voice actors fear that their voices could be replicated and reused without them getting any form of compensation for it. So, it’s pretty controversial in the entertainment industry.
Now it could get even more controversial. A few days ago, the management agency for Masako Nozawa, the legendary seiyuu for Goku, has teamed up with a company that specializes in AI voice technology. Nozawa will be among a group of people who will permit their voices to be used for various voice-related technology across multiple different languages. In other words, we could hear the Japanese voice of Goku being used for an Alexa in the future. More importantly, though, that would give the owners of Dragon Ball the means to keep voicing Goku even after Masako has passed on.
And you know what? I’m okay with that.
I normally do not approve of companies making AI copies of famous celebrities voices. Especially when they do it without their consent or deciding not to pay them. However, the difference here is that Nozawa has consented to this. She’s agreed to let it happen! And she’s not the only celebrity I’ve talked about on here who has done so. A few weeks ago, I talked about how the late James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, had agreed to have his voice replicated by another AI company. He agreed to it, and so has Masako Nozawa. Thus, I have no right to complain.
If I’m being perfectly honest, I’m glad that she’s agreed to this. Masako is 87 right now, and as much as we may want it, she can’t keep playing Goku forever. I think that she understands this, and so she doesn’t want to see the character of Goku die with her. By doing this, she’s making sure that Goku can continue to be voiced by her for as long people want to keep making stuff for Dragon Ball. Some voices are too powerful to let them fade away, and this is a prime example.
