Morgan Freeman outraged by AI voice impersonation 'scam,' thanks fans
Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, who is also renowned for his voiceover work, has publicly denounced unauthorized artificial intelligence (AI) imitations of his voice. In a recent statement, the 87-year-old actor thanked his fans for their vigilance in identifying these AI-generated voice impersonations. He expressed gratitude to his supporters, stating, "Thank you to my incredible fans for your vigilance and support in calling out the unauthorized use of an AI voice imitating me."
Unauthorized AI-generated narration sparked outrage among fans
According to media reports, a TikTok user claiming to be Freeman's niece posted videos featuring narration from an AI-generated version of the actor's voice. As soon as Freeman's fans identified the unauthorized use of his voice, they tagged the celebrity to bring it to his attention. Freeman's authentic voice work includes narrating the film March of the Penguins and the Netflix series Life on Our Planet, as well as serving as the voice of CBS News.
AI voice imitations have stirred controversy in the entertainment industry
Freeman's criticism comes amid increasing scrutiny of AI imitations within the entertainment industry. Notably, Scarlett Johansson's legal team recently demanded that OpenAI disclose how it created its AI personal voice assistant, Sky, which allegedly sounds extremely similar to Johansson's own voice. Johansson claimed she had declined a request from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to use her voice for a conversational form of ChatGPT due to "personal reasons."
Earlier, Tupac Shakur's estate confronted Drake over AI imitation
In another controversy, rapper Drake faced backlash from American rapper Tupac Shakur's estate for using an AI imitation of Shakur's voice in his song Taylor Made Freestyle. The song was subsequently removed by Drake following a cease-and-desist order from Howard King, who represents Shakur's estate. This incident further highlights the growing concerns over the use of AI technology in the entertainment industry.
