Actors Demand Legal Safeguards Against AI Voice Cloning
Hugh Bonneville, Nicola Coughlan, and Matt Lucas spearhead 'Save Our Voices Now' campaign, urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to grant statutory voice ownership.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Sarah Connor
Prominent actors are leading a new campaign to secure legal protection against AI voice cloning.
A campaign dispatched an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, demanding individuals be granted ownership of their own voices; the group calls for voice to become a protected statutory right, similar to how a person's name or image already carries legal protection.
More than 80 performers signed the letter, and an online petition also requests voice ownership as a statutory right.
Peter Caulfield stated a voice can be cloned, stolen, and reinterpreted without knowledge in just three seconds with the right AI system.
Caulfield claims the government allows AI companies to 'steal and profit from artists' voices without their consent,' enabling criminals to use AI to clone identities and threaten individuals.
My voice is unique, it's mine, it's part of my identity. So is yours. That's worth speaking up about.
Hugh Bonneville emphasized the personal nature of voice, stating: "My voice is unique, it's mine, it's part of my identity. So is yours. That's worth speaking up about."
The Save Our Voices Now campaign reports 28 percent of UK adults have been targeted by a voice-cloning scam.
Siobhan McSweeney expressed deep concern that "legislation, contracts, working practices and ethics, and artists' rights are not being considered or protected as quickly as AI technology is progressing."
McSweeney believes a collaborative approach with AI is possible, but stressed the "existential problem" requires immediate legislative control.
Beyond the legal debate, the use of AI extends beyond cloning; Pam Cronrath utilized the technology to create a holographic representation of her deceased husband for his funeral.
Separately, Denmark actively pursues legal reforms to grant its citizens legal ownership over their own face, body, and voice, enabling them to demand the removal of unauthorized AI content and seek compensation.