'A part of me was stolen': Actors say AI copied their faces, voices and performances without consent

Actors claim AI copied their faces, voices and performances without consent, raising fears over jobs, deepfakes and AI replacing human talent in micro dramas.

Several actors have claimed that AI copied their faces, voices and acting performances without their permission, replacing them with AI-generated versions in popular micro drama shows. Actor Ashley BeLoat said she discovered that an AI-generated remake of a series she had starred in had appeared on the same app just months after the original was released.

Actors claim AI copied their faces, voices and performances without consent, raising fears over jobs, deepfakes and AI replacing human talent in micro dramas. (Pexel/Representative images) (Pexel)

BeLoat had played the lead role in "Hate the Way I Love You," a micro drama released on MoboReels, about a young couple whose future changes after a cancer diagnosis. According to BeLoat, the AI remake had the same storyline, but the AI actress looked younger, had longer hair, wore a more revealing outfit, copied her movements and sounded very similar to her.

AI copied actors' faces

"Being an actor is a very vulnerable thing. It requires us to live private moments in public", Ashley BeLoat told Business Insider. "If there's a lack of trust in who we're working for, not only does it prevent us from giving something good for the viewer, but it takes away the reason that we do this."

BeLoat said she had contacted MoboReels through her manager, asking either for the AI version to be removed or for compensation, but she had not received any response. Business Insider reported that BeLoat's case is not an isolated one. Several actors and producers said their performances had been turned into AI versions without their knowledge or consent. Many actors now fear that the performances they gave in these shows may have helped train or inspire AI versions that could eventually replace them.

Actors fear losing jobs

Actor Brittany Marsicek also said an AI remake was created of her MoboReels series "Ex-Husband, Step Aside, Lady Boss Returns." Marsicek said the AI character looked different from her but behaved and sounded like her, according to Business Insider. She said her contracts did not contain any protections against AI and only mentioned broad editing rights for producers.

Marsicek explained that actors normally expect editing to mean changes like turning a vertical video into a horizontal one—not replacing them completely with AI. "You're thinking, OK, maybe they'll edit it to be horizontal instead of vertical. You don't think that their editing includes completely changing your likeness", via Business Insider.

AI debate grows bigger

Actor Evan Gambardella also said an AI version of his GoodShort series appeared to use a character that looked like him. Gambardella said seeing the AI version left him feeling emotionally hurt and betrayed. "I felt dirty and betrayed", via Business Insider. However, he said he believed he should have been informed and compensated before his face was used in an AI-generated production.

Gambardella said his contract also lacked strong AI protections and that he could not prove the AI character was based on him, so he felt taking legal action would be difficult. Gambardella also claimed that after speaking publicly on social media about the issue, he stopped getting acting work and believes he may have been blacklisted.

AI debate grows in micro dramas

A spokesperson for GoodShort told Business Insider that "Mafia King's Contract Groom" was acquired from a third-party creator. The spokesperson said GoodShort does not support the unauthorised use of an actor's image, voice or identity and is working with partners to ensure responsible AI use.

Gambardella said many fans mistakenly believed the AI version was actually him. "A lot of people thought I was AI." Another major player in the micro drama industry, ReelShort, has also started experimenting with AI-generated content.

Jen Parkhill, director of the original "Poolboy," said AI is no longer a future concern but a real issue affecting creative professionals today. " It's a real true circumstance that's arriving on our shores now — we need to be talking about profit sharing and artists having ownership over their IP", via Business Insider.

"Even if half of the people cancel their subscriptions and don't watch verticals anymore, if there's still some people watching it, they're still making money because they're so much cheaper to make", according to Business Insider.