AI voice cloning used without authorization by content creators and brands across China and US
Voice actors in China reported that their voices were cloned without authorization and used widely in online content and advertising, reducing their income and creating market confusion. NVIDIA was sued by Jamendo, a Luxembourg music platform, for using over 55,000 tracks from its platform to train AI audio generation models Fugatto and Audio Flamingo without permission, with the company seeking approximately 123 million yuan in damages.
What happened
Chinese voiceover artist Shen Anyu discovered around 2023 that his voice had been cloned by AI and was being used across the internet without authorization. Over approximately three years, his synthetic voice appeared in numerous videos, advertisements, and content, causing confusion among audiences and reducing his work opportunities.
Similarly, another voice actor Zhao Yunfei found her voice cloned and used for various purposes, including reading advertisements and emotional content, without her consent. Jamendo, a Luxembourg music platform, sued NVIDIA in California federal court in June 2026, alleging the company used over 55,000 complete audio tracks and metadata from its platform to train AI models including Fugatto and Audio Flamingo without authorization.
Reported impact
Shen Anyu reported that his monthly income declined from approximately 20,000 yuan to less than one-quarter of that amount as his work orders decreased, with clients apparently preferring the synthetic version of his voice. He attempted numerous remedies including private messages to content publishers, platform complaints, and formal reports with evidence, but faced responses such as being ignored, blocked, or told that third-party recipients claimed to be innocent purchasers of voice packages.
Zhao Yunfei found that the AI-generated version of her voice maintained the quality of her earlier recordings while her actual voice deteriorated due to illness, making it difficult for others to believe the current voice was authentically hers. Jamendo claims that NVIDIA's unauthorized use of its music platform's 800,000 personal use tracks and 300,000 commercial tracks caused significant losses, with the company seeking compensation of approximately 123 million yuan.
Index analysis
The incidents reflect a pattern of AI voice cloning technology being applied to real individuals' voices without explicit consent or compensation, with cloned voices sometimes surpassing the quality of original recordings. Voice actors and creators discovered their voices being sold in offline software packages for 688 yuan with lifetime usage rights, with sellers deleting transaction records to conceal the unauthorized transactions.
Governance controls
Chinese content creators and voice actors attempted to use platform complaint mechanisms, but reported receiving minimal responses or having their complaints closed without resolution. Platforms reportedly classified content publishers using cloned voices as 'innocent third parties' who did not know they were using unauthorized AI-generated voices, declining to take enforcement action.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.