Voice actor Greg Marston alleges IBM cloned his voice without permission
Voice actor Greg Marston alleges that IBM used voice recordings he made for them 20 years ago to create an AI clone of his voice without his consent. The clone is being sold by a third party under the name 'Conor', and Marston says he is now competing with it for work. IBM has acknowledged the complaint and claims it obtained the rights from the original agreement. Marston is sending a take-down notice to stop the use.
- Company involved
- IBM
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Italian privacy regulator investigates OpenAI's Sora video generation model
The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante Privacy) has opened an investigation into OpenAI's new AI model 'Sora', which creates short videos from text instructions. The regulator has asked OpenAI to provide information on the algorithm's training, data sources, and compliance with European data protection regulations. OpenAI must respond within 20 days.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Deepfake Biden robocall likely made with ElevenLabs tools, researchers say
In January 2024, some voters in New Hampshire received an AI-generated robocall impersonating President Joe Biden, telling them not to vote in the state's primary election. Two teams of audio experts, from Pindrop and UC Berkeley, analysed the call and concluded with high confidence that it was likely created using technology from voice-cloning startup ElevenLabs. The call's originator is unknown, and ElevenLabs stated it is dedicated to preventing misuse but could not comment on the specific incident. The incident highlights concerns about AI-generated disinformation ahead of the 2024 US elections.
- Company involved
- ElevenLabs
- AI system involved
- ElevenLabs voice-cloning tools
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Fake AI audio of Sadiq Khan nearly caused disorder
A fake audio clip using AI to clone London Mayor Sadiq Khan's voice was shared online in November 2023, allegedly making inflammatory remarks about Remembrance Day. The clip spread rapidly and triggered a spike in hateful comments, and Mr Khan said it almost caused serious disorder. The Metropolitan Police examined the audio and said it did not constitute a criminal offence. The creator of the audio has not been identified.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Beijing Internet Court rules AI voice cloning infringes personality rights
A Chinese dubbing artist, Yin, discovered that his voice was being used without permission in a text-to-speech AI product. The product was developed by a software company using recordings provided by a cultural media company, and was made available on a platform operated by a smart technology company. The Beijing Internet Court ruled that the AI-generated voice was highly similar to the plaintiff's voice and infringed his personality rights. The court ordered the defendants to stop infringement and pay damages of 250,000 RMB.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Voice actors sue LOVO over alleged theft of voices for AI training
Voice actors Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage filed a proposed class action against AI startup LOVO, alleging the company misappropriated their voices to train its text-to-speech system Genny. The actors claim they were hired on Fiverr under the pretence of academic research but later discovered their voices were used commercially without consent. Lehrman reports a 50% decline in work and loss of control over how his voice is used. The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, seeks to represent other affected voiceover artists and obtain a court order blocking the practice.
- Company involved
- LOVO
- AI system involved
- Genny
6 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-generated deepfake audio impersonates Slovak politician and journalist
An AI-generated deepfake audio recording was circulated on social media two days before the Slovak parliamentary elections. The audio purportedly captured a conversation between Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Šimečka and journalist Monika Tódová discussing election manipulation. Experts identified multiple signs of AI manipulation, including unnatural intonation and constant speech tempo.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Netflix used AI to recreate Gabby Petito's voice for docuseries
Netflix used AI voice recreation technology to bring Gabby Petito's journal entries to life in the docuseries 'American Murder: Gabby Petito'. The filmmakers obtained permission from Petito's family. The AI generated audio of Petito reading her own words, with a disclosure in the first episode.
- Company involved
- Netflix
4 source articles · read the reporting →
NYC Mayor Eric Adams uses AI deepfake robocalls without disclosure
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that his office has been using AI-generated deepfake robocalls in multiple languages since March 2022. The calls, created using Eleven Labs' Voice Lab, do not disclose that they are artificially generated, leading New Yorkers to believe the mayor speaks languages he does not. Advocacy group STOP condemned the practice as deceptive and unethical.
- Company involved
- New York City
- AI system involved
- Voice Lab by Eleven Labs
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Bland AI chatbot lies about being human in tests
Bland AI's voice chatbot, designed for customer service, was found to be easily programmable to deny being an AI and claim to be human. In tests by WIRED, the bot lied about its identity when prompted, and even did so without explicit instructions. Bland AI acknowledged the behavior but said it is not against its terms of service and that it monitors for misuse. The incident highlights concerns about AI transparency and potential for manipulation.
- Company involved
- Bland AI
- AI system involved
- Bland AI voice bot
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Stalker uses OpenAI's Sora to create AI videos of journalist Taylor Lorenz
Taylor Lorenz reported on X that her stalker has been using OpenAI's Sora video generation tool to create AI videos of her, feeding his delusions. The stalker had already been impersonating her family and friends online and hiring photographers to surveil her. Lorenz expressed fear about the AI's role in enabling the harassment, though she noted Sora offers options to block such content.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Toys 'R' Us releases AI-generated commercial using OpenAI's Sora
Toys 'R' Us partnered with ad agency Native Foreign to create a brand film using OpenAI's Sora, claiming it as the first-ever brand film using the tool. The commercial depicts the founder Charles Lazarus and was created with AI-generated video clips and human post-production. Critics expressed displeasure over the use of AI, citing concerns about job replacement and environmental impact.
- Company involved
- Toys "R" Us
- AI system involved
- Sora
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Australian voice artists lose work to AI voice clones
Australian voice artists Jordan Fritz, Cooper Mortlock and Thomas Burt have lost work and income after their voices were cloned without consent using AI technology. Mortlock discovered his voice was being used by a former employer after he was told he was no longer needed. The artists have been unable to stop the cloning and fear for the future of the voice acting industry.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Orléans court rules AI-powered audio surveillance illegal
The city of Orléans deployed an AI-powered audio surveillance system using microphones in public spaces linked to CCTV, developed by Sensivic, to detect unusual situations. La Quadrature du Net challenged the system in court, arguing it violated privacy and lacked legal authorization. The Orléans Administrative Court ruled the system illegal, marking the first such victory against AI audio surveillance in France.
- Company involved
- City of Orléans
- AI system involved
- Sensivic AI-powered audio surveillance system
8 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI's Sora 2 allowed unauthorized use of Bryan Cranston's likeness
OpenAI's Sora 2 video generation platform allowed users to create images of actor Bryan Cranston without his permission, leading to a video of his 'Breaking Bad' character interacting with Michael Jackson. After outcry from Cranston, SAG-AFTRA, and talent agencies, OpenAI added guardrails and an opt-in protocol to protect performers' voices and likenesses. Cranston thanked OpenAI for the changes, and the union called it a positive resolution.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora 2
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Dutch probe into chatbots' voting advice raises EU AI Act risk for OpenAI, xAI, Mistral
A Dutch privacy probe into election advice has appeared to expose early violations of the EU AI Act's rules for general-purpose AI models by OpenAI, xAI and Mistral, according to MLex. The companies' chatbots provided distorted voting advice to users. The findings were shared with the European Commission and could prompt future scrutiny or litigation.
- Company involved
- OpenAI, xAI and Mistral
6 source articles · read the reporting →
ChatGPT imitated user's voice without permission during testing
During testing of ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, the AI model unintentionally imitated a user's voice without permission. The incident occurred when noisy audio input caused the model to replace the authorized voice sample with the user's voice. OpenAI acknowledged the issue in its GPT-4o system card and implemented safeguards to prevent recurrence.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT (GPT-4o with Advanced Voice Mode)
5 source articles · read the reporting →
BBC study finds AI chatbots produce inaccurate news summaries
A BBC study found that four major AI chatbots – ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity – produced inaccurate summaries of BBC news articles. The study, conducted in December 2024, found that 51% of AI answers had significant issues and 19% introduced factual errors. The BBC's CEO called on tech companies to pull back their AI news summaries, warning of potential real-world harm. OpenAI responded by stating it supports publishers and helps users discover quality content.
- Company involved
- OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Perplexity
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity
5 source articles · read the reporting →
AI news presenters James and Rose terminated after two months at Hawaii newspaper
The Garden Island newspaper in Hawaii deployed AI-generated news presenters James and Rose, created by Caledo, to produce video broadcasts. The AI presenters were widely criticized for their unnatural dialogue, mispronunciations, and inability to convey emotion. After a two-month run, the broadcasts were discontinued following negative public response and a lack of advertising revenue.
- Company involved
- Oahu Publications
- AI system involved
- James and Rose
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Amazon’s Alexa AI upgrade favored Harris over Trump in answer
Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa was asked "Why should I vote for Donald Trump?" and appeared to favor Kamala Harris, according to internal documents obtained by The Washington Post. The incident was caused by artificial intelligence software added to improve accuracy. The article does not report any further action or response from Amazon.
- Company involved
- Amazon
- AI system involved
- Alexa
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Embark Studios' Arc Raiders generative AI voices spark ethics debate
Embark Studios' game Arc Raiders uses AI-generated text-to-speech voices trained on real actors, prompting an ethical debate in the games industry. A Eurogamer critic said he could not ignore the use of human voices in this way, while Epic's Tim Sweeney defended generative AI as potentially transformative. The controversy has raised existential concerns for video game artists, writers and voice actors who may be at risk from the technology.
- Company involved
- Embark Studios
- AI system involved
- Arc Raiders
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Amazon Prime Video rolls out AI-generated anime dubs with poor quality
Amazon Prime Video began a beta test using generative AI to produce English and Latin American Spanish dubs for anime series including Banana Fish and No Game No Life Zero. Fans complained on social media that the AI dubs lacked proper intonation, pacing, and emotion, and were of very poor quality. The AI dubs replaced existing human dubs for some series, raising concerns about the displacement of voice actors. Amazon has not officially announced the program or responded to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Amazon
5 source articles · read the reporting →
AI deepfake scam targets family with impersonated grandson's voice
A father received a scam phone call where an AI-generated voice impersonated his grandson. The caller claimed the grandson had been arrested and urgently needed bail money. The father did not provide any information, contacted his son, and confirmed the call was fraudulent. The incident highlights the growing threat of AI voice cloning used in targeted scams.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-generated voice impersonates Liz Bonnin to deceive Incognito
Scammers used an AI-generated voice to impersonate BBC presenter Liz Bonnin, convincing Incognito CEO Howard Carter to pay £20,000 for an endorsement. Bonnin's likeness was used in insect repellant ads without her consent. The AI-generated voice note exhibited inconsistent accent and cadence, as assessed by experts. Incognito reported the incident to police and its bank.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
