The French voice of Lara Croft is furious with the publisher of Tomb Raider for cloning her voice using AI. [french article, translated in comments] angielski

French voice actress of Lara Croft, Françoise Cadol, is furious with the publisher of Tomb Raider for cloning her voice using AI without her permission.

Françoise Cadol, the French voice of Lara Croft, has just issued a formal notice to the publisher of Tomb Raider after her voice was cloned using artificial intelligence without her authorization in the latest video game compilation.

Cadol was alerted by her community on social media, which came as a shock to the actress. On August 14, American publisher Aspyr Media released an update for Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, a compilation of different versions of the video game. The problem is that this update includes new lines—lines that Cadol never recorded.

Having been the French voice of the British adventurer for nearly 30 years, Cadol quickly had the facts legally documented by a bailiff. The worst part is that, not only was her voice reproduced by AI without any prior contact, but she had previously made it explicitly clear that she refused to allow her vocal data to be used for algorithmic training.

A leading figure in French dubbing, Françoise Cadol is the official voice of Angelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock, and Patricia Arquette, as well as many major gaming characters (Resident Evil, Star Wars, Assassin’s Creed, Overwatch, and Syberia). Now, she finds herself robbed of her most precious asset. “I thank my community of fans, the true guardians of voices,” she stated in a press release we obtained on Wednesday, before announcing her legal countermeasures.

According to her legal team at Hiro Avocats, Aspyr Media has shown total disregard for existing legal frameworks. Contrary to popular belief, current laws already protect artists’ voices. Article 9 of the French Civil Code and Article 226-1 of the French Penal Code protect the voice as a personal attribute, while the GDPR classifies it as sensitive biometric data. The EU AI Act and Article 226-8 of the French Penal Code require publishers to disclose the use of algorithms. Additionally, intellectual property rights grant exclusive control over artistic performances. Aspyr Media appears to have completely ignored this legal arsenal.

Ironically, Françoise Cadol is an active member of the association Les Voix and a figurehead of the “Touche pas à ma VF” (Don’t Touch My French Dubbing) movement. She had even exercised her right to opt out on lesvoix.fr. “I was shocked to hear my voice cloned by AI without any prior contact,” she confided. For her lawyer, Jonathan Elkaim, “this case is unprecedented because it involves clear and acknowledged commercial exploitation.”

Aspyr Media, the publisher of Tomb Raider, has now been formally notified—a preliminary step before potential legal action. Françoise Cadol is demanding the removal of the disputed update. She also wants to “set an example and prevent the wild reuse of a voice actor’s voice in the gaming industry. To officially sound the alarm and obtain compensation for the harm suffered,” her spokesperson confirmed.