Japanese anime actor fights TikTok over AI voice cloning

A high-profile Japanese anime voice actor has taken TikTok to court over videos he says feature an artificial intelligence clone of his "lustrous" baritone, with a verdict due on Wednesday.

AI imitation is a growing concern among performers worldwide, and the threat has roiled Japan's storied animation industry, whose voice actors are sometimes worshipped as much as their characters by fans.

The lawsuit filed by Kenjiro Tsuda, known for his starring roles in mega-franchises including "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Yu-Gi-Oh!", is believed to be the country's first seeking to defend an individual's vocal identity against AI-generated copies.

Tsuda is demanding TikTok remove a slew of videos narrated by a distinctively "deep" and "lustrous" voice that the 55-year-old says can only be his.

The platform however argues it is a "generic male voice" "generic male voice" whose perceived similarity to Tsuda's is subjective at best, according to court records accessed by AFP.