Their voices have helped bring some of Britain’s best-loved characters to life.
But now Hugh Bonneville, Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas are demanding the government stop AI companies from using them without permission.
They are among nearly 80 artists supporting Save Our Voices Now, a campaign seeking legal protection against technology that can clone a person’s voice and make it say anything the operator wants.
Welsh actor Luke Evans, 47, and Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeney, 48, have also signed an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham demanding “clear, enforceable and legal ownership” of their votes.
Paddington and Downton Abbey actor Hugh, 62, pictured, said: ‘My voice is unique, it’s mine, it’s part of my identity. That goes for yours too.
‘That’s worth talking about. The quote was handwritten, not created by AI.”
Their voices have helped bring some British characters to life. But now Hugh Bonneville is demanding that the government stop AI companies from using them without permission
The actor joins Nicola Coughlan in the Save Our Voices Now campaign, seeking legal protection against technology that can clone a person’s voice
In addition to the open letter, an online petition also requests that everyone become the owner of his or her vote as a legal right.
Siobhan said: ‘I am deeply concerned that legislation, contracts, working practices and ethics, and artists’ rights are not being considered or protected as quickly as AI technology develops.’
She added: “I believe there is a way to work alongside AI and use it as a tool that benefits us rather than making us redundant. This is an existential problem and must be controlled legislatively as soon as possible.
‘My voice is one of my instruments. In order to adapt and move with technological advancements, I don’t see why we should take humans out of the equation. Our audience wants that human connection, not AI.”
The campaign’s founder, actor and voice artist Peter Caulfield, compared the threat to the dystopian TV series Black Mirror.
He said: ‘In just three seconds, with the right AI system, your voice can be cloned, stolen and reinterpreted without you knowing. It’s a Black Mirror episode, only this isn’t fiction; it’s happening now.’
Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeney said: ‘I am deeply concerned that legislation, contracts, working practices and ethics, and the rights of artists are not being considered or protected’
Matt Lucas has also joined the campaign
Peter said that “the bottom line” is that the government is allowing artificial intelligence companies to “steal the voices of artists and profit from them without their consent.”
He added: ‘They also allow criminals to use AI to clone people’s identities and threaten anyone. We must now use our real voices to stop this.”
Campaigners want Britain to follow the example of Denmark, which has moved to give its citizens full legal control over AI-generated impersonations of their faces, bodies and voices. The protection allows people to demand the removal of unauthorized content and seek compensation for its misuse.
