AI contract clauses for child voice actors spark industry backlash

More than a thousand actors, agents, parents and industry professionals have signed an open letter organized by the Agents for Young Performers Association (AYPA) condemning new contractual clauses that require child voice actors to permit the use of their voices by artificial‑intelligence tools. The clauses, reportedly demanded by a major studio that owns the international children’s franchise "Peppa Pig", would allow the cloning of a child’s voice for commercial assets across the franchise.

The signatories argue that children cannot give fully informed legal consent and that parental approval should not serve as a blanket license to capture, clone, train or reuse a child’s voice indefinitely. They call for all agreements involving child voices to be exempt from AI usage. In response, Hasbro, the company that acquired the franchise, said it is aware of the open letter, cannot comment on specific contractual arrangements and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting child performers.

The controversy highlights growing concerns within the entertainment industry about the ethical and legal implications of AI‑generated content using minors’ performances.