Some 1,000 industry professionals have signed a letter condemning the reported contract clause and warning about consent-related mattes
Hasbro, the US entertainment company behind the children’s animated television series Peppa Pig, is asking child voice actors to sign over rights to use their voices for artificial intelligence (AI) under new contract terms, Deadline reported this week.
The reported move has drawn criticism from representatives of child performers, who say it raises concerns over consent and the use of AI.
The controversy reflects broader questions over the growing use of AI tools in the entertainment industry. Advances in digital voice-cloning technology have enabled companies to recreate human voices with increasing accuracy, prompting performers to warn that their work could be replicated without their consent or adequate compensation, reducing overall demand for professional voice actors.
Industry sources told Deadline that AI clauses are increasingly appearing in contracts for young performers across film and television, but noted that Hasbro’s approach to the children’s franchise has drawn particular concern.
According to the report, nearly 1,000 industry professionals have signed an open letter organized by the Agents of Young Performers Association (AYPA), criticizing the use of AI-related terms in contracts linked to an “international children’s franchise.” While the letter, the full text of which was published by Deadline, does not mention Peppa Pig, industry sources cited by the outlet say it refers to the show.
The letter warns that such clauses are often presented on a “take it or leave it” basis and could allow a child’s voice to be cloned and reused in AI-generated content, raising concerns about consent and long-term control over performers’ identities.
The open letter called for child performers to be fully exempt from indefinite AI voice rights agreements, arguing that no child should have their professional identity shaped by systems they cannot fully understand.
A Hasbro spokesperson told the outlet that the company was aware of the letter but did not comment on specific contractual terms, stressing that it was committed to protecting child performers and engaging with AI issues “responsibly and transparently” as industry standards evolve.
The news comes amid a growing wave of AI voice-cloning disputes over unauthorized voice replicas and related publicity, copyright, false endorsement, and unfair competition claims. Notable examples include Scarlett Johansson’s 2024 dispute with OpenAI over ChatGPT’s ‘Sky’ voice, the landmark cases involving Bette Midler and Ford Motor Company, as well as Tom Waits and Frito-Lay, and the AI-generated song ‘Heart on My Sleeve,’ which imitated the voices of Drake and The Weeknd.
