Morgan Freeman joins the chorus of celebrities speaking out about voice AI

Morgan Freeman has joined the chorus of celebrities speaking out against the use of unauthorized voice cloning, while Scarlett Johansson has led the movement, calling on OpenAI to disclose how it developed its AI voice assistant, Sky.

Recently, a TikTok user who referred to herself as Morgan Freeman’s “Nepo niece” posted videos purportedly narrated by the iconic AI-generated voice actor. Morgan Freeman is famous for his narrative work, including Frank Darabont’s “The Convicts‘ (1994), Luc Jacquet’The journey of the penguins‘ (2005) and Clint Eastwood’s ‘Million Dollar Baby‘ (2005).

The celebrated voice actor took to X/Twitter over the weekend to thank his fans for exposing the TikTok imposter. “Thank you to my incredible fans for your vigilance and support in exposing the unauthorized use of an AI voice impersonating me,” he wrote. “Your dedication helps ensure that authenticity and integrity remain a top priority. I am grateful.”

Scarlet Johansson brought voice cloning to national attention after she asked OpenAI’s Sam Altman to disclose how the company developed her voice for Sky, its personal assistant chatbot. Advances in technology that make it possible to reproduce the characteristics of unique voices mean that anyone with hours of training data (such as previous public appearances) is at risk of voice cloning.

Johansson immediately contacted a lawyer after hearing the Sky chatbot’s voice, saying she was “shocked, angry and in disbelief.” While the now-defunct personal assistant’s voice may not be trained to match Johansson’s iconic voice, the resemblance is undeniable – especially after Johansson revealed she refused to give her voice to the chatbot after Altman made her the offer. She says she was contacted by Sky two days before the public demo and asked to reconsider her position. OpenAI claims the voice is not an imitation of Johansson.

Back in April 2024, Drake faced widespread criticism for using artificial intelligence to recreate Tupac Shakur’s voice to mock Kendrick Lamar in a rap dispute between the two. The West Coast rapper mocked Lamar in the song “Taylor Made Freestyle”, prompting Shakur’s estate to issue a cease and desist order. Howard King, a representative of the estate, called the cloning of the AI ​​voice a “blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.”