Can you make money by uploading a few photos and recording a voice? Reporter's actual face and voice authorization part-time process
There are many risks hidden behind the "earning money" gimmick that sells face and voice
Our reporter Tang Shu
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As AI short dramas and digital human live broadcasts heat up, part-time job information claiming to be able to "sign and monetize" by uploading a few photos and recording a voice has appeared frequently on social networking and recruitment platforms. The reporter tested multiple platforms and found that the price for a single authorization of the face ranges from 50 yuan to 99,999 yuan, and some platforms also take 30 to 40% of user revenue. In a licensing agreement, the "three openings" of pricing, transaction, and exit are all controlled by the platform. When portraits and voices become “digital commodities” with clearly marked prices, what exactly do ordinary workers “hand over”?
"On October 27, five extras are needed to shoot sports collection videos in Forest Park. The fee is 100 yuan and the bill is settled on the same day." The reporter recently searched some social platforms and recruitment platforms and found that as AI short dramas and digital human live broadcasts heat up, part-time recruitment information involving "selling face" and "selling voice" frequently appears.
Most of the above-mentioned information claims, "You don't need to act or show your face. You only need to upload a few photos and record a voice, and you can sign up to become a digital actor and earn profits." Can this part-time job, which has attracted many people's attention, really be "earning money"? When biometric information such as portraits and voices becomes clearly priced “digital goods”, what pitfalls may exist behind them? In this regard, reporters from Workers' Daily conducted field surveys and interviews.
"Sell your face" and "sell your voice" and "make money" business
The reporter contacted a poster who posted a message about "long-term recruitment of real person portrait authorization". The other party said that this is an online light side job with "regular contract and flexible time", suitable for mothers and office workers, and the company specializes in providing real-life portrait authorization for AI comics and AI advertising. "We were a model agent before and are very professional in portrait rights."
The other party then sent a registration link. When the reporter clicked on the link to register, he found that he needed to upload his ID card photo to complete the real-name authentication, and then go through the steps of uploading the portrait, signing the contract, authorizing, and pricing. The single authorization fee for the portrait ranged from 200 yuan to 2,000 yuan. As for the pricing standards, the other party said that the licensing fee can only be determined based on personal conditions such as image, number of fans, and professionalism. "After all, it is a new track and there is no reference pricing for peers."
Data released by the China Network Audiovisual Association shows that in the first quarter of 2026, about 128,000 micro-short dramas were launched across the industry, of which AI short dramas accounted for more than 95%. The booming demand side has driven the development of the supply side. Since this year, many platforms for face and voice authorization transactions have been launched.
The reporter entered a number of face authorization platforms for actual testing and found that some platforms allow users to quote prices independently, while others set a minimum price of 500 yuan for permanent face authorization for a single film and television drama, and some platforms set the price range for a single authorization between 50 yuan and 99,999 yuan. In addition, some platforms will also take 30% to 40% of the user’s transaction price.
After collecting and uploading portraits and voices, can I get income smoothly? The reporter logged into a small program that specializes in part-time speech collection. The sounds collected are mainly used for AI speech technology research and development and model training. A part-time employee said that she was initially told that she could withdraw 0.5 yuan for each dialect collected, but after recording more than 1,000 dialects, the withdrawal was still unsuccessful. The reason given by the other party was that "there was a problem with the recording and the review failed." “I feel like my voice is being used for free,” she said.
"Digital clones" that are infinitely copied
"My voice was chosen by a project, and the other party hopes to obtain authorization to resell it for use in AI short dramas, advertising, and voice packs... I wonder if it will cause trouble?" A worker posted a consultation on a social platform. The reporter contacted the worker, who said that she did not sign the authorization agreement in the end because of concerns about risks.
"This kind of part-time job of 'selling one's face' and 'selling one's voice' is essentially packaging a type of information that is strictly protected by law into a one-time, low-threshold ordinary transaction, and the risk perceptions of both parties are completely asymmetric." Professor at the Law School of Beijing Normal University and a researcher at the Internet Society of China Wu Shenkuo, deputy director of the Center, said that according to the "Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China" and other relevant laws and regulations, faces and voices are biometric information and are also sensitive personal information. Once leaked or illegally used, it will directly affect the personal dignity and personal and property security of the relevant subjects.
"What the authorized party takes away is a limited consideration, but what the buyer obtains is a permanent identity material that can be copied, resold, and trained indefinitely." Wu Shenkuo believes that "this asymmetry itself is part of the risk structure."
So, some platforms require users to check the authorization agreement they agree to. Is there a trap?
The reporter obtained a portrait collection and settlement service agreement for the certain face authorization platform. Lin Wei, a lawyer at Beijing Zeying Law Firm, analyzed, “The problem with this agreement is that the platform holds the ‘three openings’ of pricing, transaction, and exit in its own hands, leaving the image rights holder with a mechanism of ‘checking the box first, and then automatically closing the deal.’”
In addition, the above-mentioned agreement also requires the authorizer to promise to provide materials to the platform at the "lowest price on the entire network", otherwise it must pay liquidated damages of 10,000 yuan each time. The platform has the right to independently decide and adjust the authorized price of portrait materials. The authorizer shall not claim breach of contract or require any form of compensation on the basis of the platform's price adjustment.
“This allocation of rights and obligations is very unfair,” Lin Wei said.
Not only that, once face and voice information is delivered, it is often difficult for the authorizer to know the usage scenarios and resale process of the materials, and may also face risks such as the materials being used for AI face-changing fraud. In Wu Shenkuo's view, it is difficult for authorized parties to track the flow of information, and it is even more difficult to prove the direct connection between a certain piece of AI-generated content and their own authorized information. "The difficulty in providing evidence is the most realistic obstacle to this type of rights protection."
Make every transfer traceable
What are the pros and cons of the emergence of a personal biometric information commercial trading platform? Lin Wei believes that the new format will not only enrich the content supply of AI short dramas and short videos, but also help actors break through schedule restrictions and revitalize their image. "At the same time, the emergence of this type of platform allows rights holders to move a step forward from "protecting rights after the fact" and can take the initiative to establish authorization rules. Unauthorized use is more likely to be defined as infringement." He said.
The reporter learned that in addition to the existing provisions in the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China and the Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, documents such as the "Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services" have also regulated relevant behaviors. The "Measures for the Management of Digital Virtual Human Information Services (Draft for Comments)" released this year clearly states that if the sensitive personal information of natural persons is used for activities such as modeling, image generation, scene construction, etc., their consent should be obtained. After the natural person withdraws his consent, the relevant personal information must be deleted to eliminate the impact.
In Wu Shenkuo's view, "selling one's face" and "selling one's voice" lie between personality rights licensing and personal information transactions. The validity determination of relevant authorization contracts, the interpretation standards of the scope of authorization, as well as the identification of infringement, damage quantification and compensation standards all need to be further refined and clarified. "Platforms must consolidate their main responsibilities, control material imports, and strengthen risk warnings and technical governance; the industry should formulate self-regulatory norms and technical standards to jointly resist the illegal gray industry chain of "selling face" and "selling voice."
Lin Wei suggested building a registration and traceability mechanism for biometric information transactions so that every transfer of faces and voices can be recorded, so that when leaks or abuses occur, they can be traced back to specific links and responsible entities.
"For ordinary workers, the most important thing is not to believe in the rhetoric of "earning money by lying down", carefully sign authorization documents, promptly report infringements and safeguard rights in accordance with the law, and never participate in it even though you know it is illegal." Wu Shenkuo said.
