AI Replacing Even Actors: Hollywood Fights Back While…
Hollywood actors and Japanese voice performers are using trademarks and official AI services to combat unauthorized deepfake replications of their likenesses
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Kenjiro Tsuda
As generative AI gains the ability to replicate human faces and voices with increasing accuracy, members of the entertainment industry are taking proactive steps to protect their intellectual property. From Hollywood stars registering trademarks to Japanese voice actors launching controlled AI services, professionals are shifting the debate from banning the technology to establishing frameworks for consent, control, and compensation.
What happened
In January 2026, actor Matthew McConaughey initiated a legal defense against unauthorized AI replication by registering eight trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These registrations include short video clips of his likeness and his iconic 1993 film line, "Alright, alright, alright." McConaughey’s strategy is not to ban AI entirely—he is an investor in the AI firm ElevenLabs—but to ensure that any commercial use of his identity requires his explicit approval and compensation.
Simultaneously, the industry is grappling with the emergence of virtual actors like Tilly Nord, created by British studio Particle6. The union SAG-AFTRA has criticized the use of such AI characters, arguing that they may have been trained on the work of professional actors without permission and could threaten human livelihoods.
In Japan, the response has focused on providing "official" alternatives to combat "pirate" voices. Voice actor Daisuke Namikawa launched an AI voice service called Polyphony, while Yuki Kaji established a company called Fractal to manage his own synthetic voice software. These initiatives aim to use technology as a creative tool while ensuring revenue is distributed to the original rights holders.
Despite these efforts, legal challenges remain difficult. In May 2026, voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court to force the removal of a TikTok video that used generative AI to imitate his voice. Industry stakeholders are now pursuing technological solutions, such as electronic watermarking and voiceprint authentication, to distinguish between authorized and unauthorized synthetic content.