Matt Lucas and Hugh Bonneville among actors calling for law on AI voice cloning – BBC News
By Tom Gerken, Technology Reporter
Actors including Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville and Nicola Coughlan have written to the UK government demanding greater protection against their voices being used by AI.
The performers are asking Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce legislation which would give every person in the UK a legal right to own their voice.
Voice clones are created by training AI on recordings of real people. Quick versions can be made in minutes from a few seconds of audio, but high-quality copycats tend to require hours.
Alice Sockett, an audiobook narrator and co-founder of the campaign, called it "an existential threat to our entire industry".
"My voice is out there in the public domain but completely unprotected," she said. "We’re seeing voice theft increase every week."
A government spokesperson told the BBC that while "digital replicas can be a powerful tool, including for the creative industries", there was also potential for harm:
"We value and protect human creators, and that is why we have announced we will launch a consultation on how we address these harms, while protecting legitimate innovation."
Signatories Include Actors and Musicians
Over 80 performers have signed the letter, with Derry Girls actor Siobhán McSweeney expressing her concern:
"There is a way to work alongside AI and to use it as a tool that benefits us rather than rendering us obsolete," she said. "Our audiences want that human connection. Not AI."
Other signatories include musicians like Sandi Thom, who said she was signing the letter because her voice is "unique to me and was handed to me at birth":
"Behind that voice is the emotion, the life, the pain, the tears and joy that I’ve felt along the way. Without creativity, we are nothing."
This comes after lawyers warned UK legislation has become "unfit for purpose" because of advancements in AI technology.
However, some have welcomed AI voice cloning for its potential to help those who cannot speak due to illness or disability, and for its use in holographic representations at events like funerals.
