Fake AI David Attenborough delivers news reports

The unauthorised cloning and use of David Attenborough's voice to present news reports drew sharp criticism from the TV presenter and his fans, and h ighlighted a growing concern about the theft of identity using AI. 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. System 🤖 Unknown Developer: Country: UK Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: I mitate voice Technology: Text-to-speech; Machine learning Issue: Mis/disinformation

Date it happened

2024-11-01

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.