"Hello. I am not AI; I am a voice actor. Now I will read a tongue twister", Shen Anyu said, before taking a breath and rapidly reciting a string of syllables. This marks the fifth time this year the 31-year-old from Jiangsu has filmed himself verifying his identity.
Born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, Shen grew up often in a hospital bed due to poor health. He became fascinated by the voices of cartoon characters. Six years ago, he agreed to narrate a science explanation video for his cousin. Opportunities then continuously arose. Shen rose to become the main narrator for a Douyin channel, a Chinese short-video platform, with 5 million followers. This freelance work brought in an income of 10,000 - 30,000 yuan (about 1,400 - 4,200 USD) each month.
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Shen Anyu, editing a voice recording at his home in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China in early July. Sixthtone |
Shen Anyu, editing a voice recording at his home in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China in early July. Sixthtone
In 2023, Shen discovered his voice had been copied by AI in a video, though the quality at that time was still rudimentary. By 2024, the technology had advanced. A clone of his voice was being sold online for the price of a bottle of water. Old clients began to stop hiring Shen, switching to AI to save costs.
From 2025, platforms automatically categorized Shen's original recordings as AI-generated products, reducing his viewership and income. Shen frequently found his voice used to narrate films, read sports news, and feature in online advertisements. Friends messaged him with congratulations, thinking he had found more work, but in reality, Shen's income had declined. "All my experience and training process have been turned into a copy, erasing human effort", Shen said.
The Chinese audio industry, with hundreds of thousands of workers, is facing a crisis due to AI. Similarly to Shen, voice actor Ciya Liu, 28, discovered a company using AI to create recordings of her voice. When exposed, the company reduced her fee by 10% and announced a shift to AI-generated scripts. A representative from the "729 Voice" dubbing studio stated that AI scripts have appeared in thousands of episodes, making it impossible to track and address violations.
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Shen Anyu and his wife's life has become difficult as their income decreased due to the impact of AI. Sixthtone |
Shen Anyu and his wife's life has become difficult as their income decreased due to the impact of AI. Sixthtone
To reclaim his work, Shen contacted those who posted impersonating videos, but most ignored him. His wife, Wei Yiyuan, decided to quit her pharmacist job to gather evidence. She copied violating links and submitted complaints to platforms. When these efforts yielded no results, Shen filed a lawsuit.
Lawyer Ren Xiangyu in Beijing stated that litigation requires clear evidence and sound appraisal costs at least 10,000 yuan. Impersonators are often anonymous and distribute content through multiple accounts, while compensation amounts are low. The People's Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that voice replication violates personal rights, not copyright.
Declining income has put pressure on Shen's family life. He suffers from insomnia and smokes more. Many have advised Shen to license his voice clone for money, as some other actors are doing. Shen refuses this approach.
"I do not think AI is bad. It is a tool. How people use it is the problem", he said.
Minh Phuong (According to Sixth Tone)
