Actors demand legal protection for AI voice cloning

Prominent actors, including Matt Lucas and Hugh Bonneville, are advocating for new laws to safeguard against the unauthorised use of their voices through artificial intelligence.

Performers such as Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville, and Nicola Coughlan have formally petitioned the UK government, seeking enhanced legal safeguards to prevent their voices from being exploited by AI technologies.

These artists are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to enact legislation that would grant every individual in the United Kingdom explicit legal ownership of their own voice.

AI voice clones are generated by processing existing sound recordings of individuals. While rudimentary versions can be generated in mere minutes from brief audio samples, creating high-quality, convincing copies typically necessitates many hours of source material.

Alice Sockett, an audiobook narrator and co-founder of the campaign, described this development as posing "an existential threat" to her entire profession.

She explained that her voice is accessible to the public but lacks any form of legal protection.

A government spokesperson informed the BBC that, while digital replicas offer considerable potential, including benefits for creative sectors, they also carry inherent risks.

The spokesperson affirmed their commitment to valuing and protecting human creators, noting that a consultation would be launched to address these potential harms while simultaneously supporting legitimate technological innovation.

Over 80 performers have endorsed the letter, with Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney expressing significant concern that the government is falling behind on this issue.

McSweeney stated that it is possible to collaborate with AI and leverage it as a beneficial tool, rather than allowing it to render human professionals obsolete.

Beyond the acting community, individuals from various other performing arts industries have also signed the letter.

Among them is Scottish singer Sandi Thom, celebrated for her 2006 hit "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)".

She explained her decision to sign the letter, emphasizing that her voice is distinctively her own, bestowed upon her at birth.

Thom added that her voice embodies the emotions, experiences, struggles, and joys she has encountered throughout her life.

This initiative follows warnings issued months prior by legal experts, who cautioned that UK legislation had become "unfit for purpose" due to rapid advancements in AI technology.

Dr. Mathilde Pavis commented in June that existing laws provide some degree of protection for one's voice, face, or identity, but do not fully encompass it.

Conversely, some individuals, such as those who struggle to speak clearly due to illness, have expressed appreciation for voice replication technology.

Yvonne Johnson, who lost her voice because of motor neurone disease, told the BBC's Tech Life programme in February that having her voice cloned by AI had "totally amazed" her and helped her reconnect with family members who had forgotten her original voice.