Why disclose
- Audiences mind finding out later far more than they mind AI voices. Telling them up front keeps their trust.
- Platforms ask for it. Many video, social and game platforms require labels for realistic synthetic content.
- The law is moving the same way. Some places now require AI-generated or manipulated media to be labelled. See is AI voice cloning legal?
- It's fair to the people cloned. A credit says whose voice it is and that they agreed.
Wording you can copy
Podcast or audio drama show notes
Voices in this episode were created with AI voice cloning, from recordings by our cast, who agreed to their use. Mara is voiced by an AI clone of [performer's name]'s voice. Narration by [narrator's name] (human).
Video description
The narration in this video is an AI-generated version of my own voice.
Game credits or store page
Some character dialogue uses AI-generated voices, cloned with permission from the performers credited below.
Course or training module
This course is narrated by an AI voice, created from a recording by [name], who agreed to its use.
A spoken line, at the start or end
This episode was voiced with AI, using voices our cast lent us.
Where to put it
| Medium | Where |
|---|---|
| Podcasts | Show notes for each episode; the show's description for a fully AI-voiced series. |
| YouTube and social video | The description, and the platform's own disclosure setting when you upload. |
| Games | Credits, and the store's AI content disclosure. Steam asks developers about AI-generated content when they submit a game. |
| Courses and training | The course introduction or "about" page, and the credits. |
| Audiobooks | The retailer's AI narration labelling, which some require, and the book's credits. |
| Ads | Follow the advertising rules where it runs, and never present a cloned voice as a real endorsement. |
Platform rules change regularly. Check each platform's current policy before you publish.
Crediting the people whose voices were cloned
- Credit them as you would any performer, unless they asked not to be named.
- Make clear it's an AI voice made from their recording: "Voice of Mara: [performer's name] (AI voice, used with permission)".
- If the voice is your own, say so; it reassures listeners nobody was cloned without consent.
The watermark is a backstop, not a disclosure
The open-source Chatterbox model that abcVoiceover uses adds an inaudible watermark to the audio it generates, which detection tools built for it can find. That helps show audio was AI-generated if it's ever passed off as real, but listeners can't hear it, so it doesn't replace telling them.
What never to do
Don't present AI audio as a real recording of a real person, and never use a cloned voice to make it sound as if someone said something they didn't. That's what the terms of service rule out, and what disclosure exists to prevent. See using AI voices responsibly.