David Attenborough 'profoundly disturbed' by unauthorized AI voice cloning
Renowned natural history presenter, David Attenborough, has voiced his deep concern over the unauthorized cloning of his voice by artificial intelligence (AI) creators. The BBC informed him about the issue, which came to light when a clip from his latest series Asia was aired with an almost identical AI-generated voiceover. "Having spent a lifetime trying to speak what I believe to be the truth...my identity is being stolen by others," Attenborough told the BBC.
AI clone's response to Attenborough's concerns
The creator of the cloned voice addressed Attenborough's concerns, saying in a similar voice, "Let's set the record straight. Unless Mr. Attenborough has been moonlighting for us in secret...he is not on our payroll." "I am not David Attenborough. We are both male British voices for sure, but I am not David Attenborough for anyone out there who might be confused." This only adds to the debate about copyright and privacy violations in AI voice cloning.
Unauthorized use of Attenborough's voice in news reports
Reportedly, the cloned voice of Attenborough has been used in news reports on YouTube channels like The Intellectualist. These reports cover a range of topics from the Ukraine-Russia war to Donald Trump. "I am profoundly disturbed to find these days my identity is being stolen by others and greatly object to them using it to say whatever they wish," Attenborough added.
US legislation and previous incidents of AI voice cloning
In the US, the problem of likeness cloning prompted the introduction of the bipartisan Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act or No Fakes Act last year. The act seeks to make those creating clones accountable for their actions. Earlier this year, an OpenAI voice called 'Sky' was pulled soon after launching when Scarlett Johansson objected to its likeness of her voice. Morgan Freeman's voice was being maliciously used to scam people.
