Fake AI David Attenborough delivers news reports

Occurred: November 2024

The unauthorised cloning and use of David Attenborough's voice to present news reports drew sharp criticism from the TV presenter and his fans.

What happened

The BBC discovered AI-generated versions of Attenborough's voice being used by numerous online platforms to deliver news bulletins, sometimes on contentious topics such as the US elections and the war in Ukraine.

Attenborough's voice was likely used to exploit its trustworthy nature.

Attenborough, 98, said he is "profoundly disturbed" by the cloning of his voice without his consent and that it is unsettling to see his identity misappropriated for misleading purposes.

Why it happened

The rise of AI voice cloning technology by a wide range of companies has made it simple and cheap to to replicate and use the voices of public figures for more or less any purpose. 

The relevant technologies have been adopted in various sectors, including entertainment and news media, often without adequate platform use policies or enforcement. 

In addition, laws in many legal jurisdictions are proving unfit to address the challenges posed by the abuse of identity, leaving figures like Attenborough with limited recourse against these kinds of  infringements.

What it means

Attenborough's situation highlights a growing concern about the theft of identity using AI. 

As deepfake and other voice cloning technologies become more sophisticated and lifelike, there is an urgent need for updated legal frameworks that protect individuals from the unauthorised use of their identities.

Audio deepfake

Audio deepfake technology, also referred to as voice cloning or deepfake audio, is an application of artificial intelligence designed to generate speech that convincingly mimics specific individuals, often synthesizing phrases or sentences they have never spoken.

Source: Wikipedia 🔗

System 🤖

Operator:
Developer:  
Country: UK
Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts
Purpose: Imitate voice
Technology: Text-to-speech; Machine learning
Issue: Ethics/values; Mis/disinformation

Page info
Type: Incident
Published: November 2024