Japan Justice Ministry drafts guidelines to protect celebrity voices from AI misuse

Japan's Justice Ministry has prepared a draft report calling for protection of the voices and portraits of famous individuals against unauthorized use by generative artificial intelligence. The draft, to be reviewed by an expert panel, sets out criteria for judging similarity between real and AI‑generated voices and outlines how such misuse could breach the right of publicity and a newly defined “right not to be used indiscriminately.” It distinguishes artistic impersonation, which is generally permissible, from cases where AI‑generated “covers” use a voice actor’s voice to sing another person's song for profit on social media. The ministry intends to release a final report after expert feedback, possibly as early as August, to serve as a reference for lawsuits and guide AI development.

The proposal follows growing concerns from voice actors and other celebrities about AI‑generated content that misrepresents their voices, potentially harming their personal honor and commercial value.