Despite the ethical concerns around the cloning and production of voices of deceased individuals, we believe that some circumstances warrant an exception. When consent of a family’s estate is obtained and ethical norms are observed, the final product can be a work of significant cultural impact.
At Respeecher, we only begin work once we obtain permission from the estate holders of the person whose voice we intend to clone. The case of Tommy Muñiz is another story of our successful implementation of voice cloning, leading up to an emotionally beautiful result.
The Challenge
Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez, better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a famous Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor and media producer. His professional contributions have made him a pioneering figure in the Puerto Rican television industry.
One of his most notable projects was Los García, a Puerto Rican television sitcom from the 1970s. It depicted the life of a local fictional family, as well as that of some of their neighbors. The series' characters were based on and even named after real individuals. Tommy Muñiz played one of the leading roles and was a truly indispensable part of the show.
Tommy Muñiz passed away in 2009. But this year he "took part" in the play "Los García". Thanks to AI, Juan Garcia, played by Tommy, was successfully integrated into the modern play in all his glory.
The Solution
A general producer of the play Los García, John Ward, decided to hire the Respeecher team after going over our portfolio of experience working with Hollywood production studios.
Once we got together with Ward’s team, we were able to integrate the character of Juan García into the play using recordings of his voice and our voice cloning technology.
Respeecher’s voice synthesis technology then went to work studying the voice of Tommy Muñiz, understanding its features, and then transforming the source's voice (i.e., the voice of the voice actor) into Tommy's.
The Result
Thanks to voice cloning technology, Tommy Muñiz accompanied the other actors with his voice in this historic staging, creating deeply emotional and funny moments.
A crucial moment of our work during the project was when Tommy's son and granddaughter also participated in the play. We consider these types of projects entertaining but, at the same time, extremely sensitive. That's why we pay critical attention to any collaboration that includes relatives to ensure our technology is used according to their expectations and wishes without violating ethical norms.
"A standing ovation to Respeecher’s incredible accuracy in cloning and recreating my father’s voice for our live stage production of "Los Garcia" in San Juan,” said Rafo Muñiz, Tommy's son. “Each and every night the audience was amazed when they listened to Juan Garcia's unique voice and mannerisms. Everyone that hears his voice in this production is filled with nostalgia. Reespecher’s cloning capacities are world-class."
"It sounds just like him!" added Camelia Muñiz, Tommy's granddaughter.
