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Certified Human Voice™

Human-performed. Consent-based. Transparently disclosed.

What Certified Human Voice™ Means

Certified Human Voice™ is Academy Voices’ designation for voice performances that are performed entirely by a human narrator, produced with informed consent, governed by clear ethical boundaries, and disclosed transparently.

The designation applies to a range of voice-based works, including audiobooks, audio dramas, limited series, narrative productions, and professional voice-over recordings.

This designation exists to document how a voice performance was created in an era of rapidly evolving audio technology. It is not a marketing claim, a value judgment, or a prediction about the future of publishing or media production.

Certified Human Voice™ records one fact, clearly and precisely:

A real human voice performed this work, with informed consent and defined boundaries of use.

Core Principles of Certified Human Voice™

A voice performance designated as Certified Human Voice™ meets all of the following criteria.

Human-Originated Performance

The voice performance is performed by a real human voice actor using their natural voice.

This means:

  • No synthetic voices

  • No AI-generated narration or performance

  • No voice cloning

  • No automated or algorithmic performance systems

All interpretation, pacing, emotional delivery, and performance decisions originate from the human narrator.

Consent-Based Production

The narrator has knowingly and explicitly consented to:

  • The recording of their voice

  • The distribution of the voice-based work

  • The specific uses outlined in their agreement

Consent under the Certified Human Voice™ standard is:

  • Informed — the narrator understands what is being produced

  • Voluntary — participation is optional

  • Specific — limited to defined works and uses

Consent is never assumed, implied, or retroactively applied.

Ethical Use Boundaries

Certified Human Voice™ productions are created with clear and documented boundaries regarding technology and reuse.

Certified Human Voice™ audio:

  • Is not used for artificial intelligence training

  • Is not used for voice cloning or synthesis

  • Is not sublicensed for machine learning or automated voice systems

Any use beyond standard production, distribution, and promotion of the voice-based work requires separate, explicit written consent from the narrator.

Transparent Disclosure

Certified Human Voice™ is a disclosure standard, not a promotional label.

It communicates that:

  • The voice performance was performed by a human voice actor

  • The narrator consented to the performance and its distribution

  • The audio is distributed within clearly defined limits

Where relevant, Academy Voices may disclose whether a title or production was:

  • Created under current Certified Human Voice™ standards, or

  • Created under earlier standards prior to the formal designation framework

No work is misrepresented.

Scope of Designation

Certified Human Voice™ applies prospectively, not retroactively.

  • New voice performances may be reviewed and designated Certified Human Voice™ upon request

  • Legacy works may remain distributed under the standards in place at the time of their production

  • Designation is optional, not mandatory

Certified Human Voice™ does not alter:

  • Ownership

  • Compensation

  • Royalty structures

  • Existing contractual terms

It documents process — not control.

What Certified Human Voice™ Is Not

Certified Human Voice™ does not mean:

  • Guaranteed income or placement

  • Exclusive representation

  • A moral judgment of other production methods

  • A rejection of future technology

It is not a promise about what will happen next.
It is a record of how the work was created.

Why Academy Voices Uses This Standard

Academy Voices produces and publishes voice-based works as long-term cultural, educational, and narrative media. As production tools evolve, clear documentation matters — for narrators protecting their voices, for creators protecting their works, and for audiences who value transparency.

Certified Human Voice™ exists to provide that clarity without fear-based messaging, hype, or exclusion.

Narrator Participation

Narrators may submit eligible works for Certified Human Voice™ designation by:

  • Affirming human-originated performance

  • Signing the Certified Human Voice™ consent form

  • Acknowledging the ethical use boundaries

Designation status may be updated or withdrawn if the standard is misrepresented or violated.

In Summary

Certified Human Voice™ means:

  • A real human voice

  • Informed consent

  • Ethical boundaries

  • Transparent disclosure

Nothing more — and nothing less.

 

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