NTT West's VOICENCE opens voice-AI consultation desk Sept 28, 2026

The desk arrives as unauthorized AI voice generation has become a measurable problem. A survey by the NPO 肖像パブリシティ権擁護監視機構 found more than 40,000 suspected images and videos of celebrities' likenesses or voice actors' voices generated without permission, with estimated economic losses of roughly ¥2 billion to ¥4.5 billion. In August 2026, the Ministry of Justice published a report and interpretive guidelines on civil liability for unauthorized use of likenesses and voices — but that organized existing legal interpretation rather than creating a new law that directly protects voices.

Against that background, the desk is framed not as a technical fix but as a place to organize questions. It is operated by NTT West's VOICENCE company together with lawyer Hajime Idei, with cooperation from Kottodori Law Office, and it aims to collect real-world concerns to eventually publish basic knowledge on voice use and contracts and guidance on forming consent in advance.

Whether the effort changes practice may hinge on how many concrete cases flow through the desk and whether the guidance it produces is adopted by performers and companies alike. For performers weighing AI voice offers and for marketing staff building AI voices, the immediate value is a free, low-threshold place to start asking — though the desk itself stops short of legal judgment.