Italian PM files to trademark her voice against AI threats
Giorgia Meloni submitted a four-second audio to a EU agency in a bid to protect her voice from deepfakes.
Italian PM seeks trademark for her voice amid AI concerns
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has filed to trademark her voice in an effort to shield herself from artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes.
The application was submitted on Monday to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and is listed on its website.
The prime minister’s office also confirmed the filing.
As part of the application, Meloni recorded a four-second clip in which she says "Io sono Giorgia" - I am Giorgia Meloni" in Italian - twice.
Meloni is not the only public figure trying to protect her identity from unauthorized use by AI platforms. In January, US actor Matthew McConaughey took the lead by trademarking his image and voice.
Singer Taylor Swift did the same in April, filing three trademark applications in the US - one featuring a photo of herself on stage during her Eras Tour, and the other two consisting of audio clips of her introducing herself while promoting her last album.
In August, more than 80 performers urged British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to bring in legislation that would give every person in the UK a legal right to own their voice.
Actors including Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville and Nicola Coughlan were among those seeking stronger protection against their voices being used by AI.
Voice clones are made by training AI on recordings of real people. Fast versions can be produced from just a few seconds of audio, but high-quality replicas usually require hours.
Meloni’s move to trademark her voice comes ahead of Italy’s general elections next year.
The phrase "Io sono Giorgia" was the title of Meloni’s 2021 autobiography and is linked to the prime minister’s political campaigns.
In 2024, Meloni sought €100,000 (£84,920) in damages after deepfake porn videos of her were posted online.
A deepfake image is one in which the face of one person is digitally placed onto the body of another. In recent years, deepfake porn has become widespread on the internet, and victims have spoken about the trauma it has caused them.
More recently, in May this year, Meloni warned about the dangers of deepfakes as several AI-generated images of her wearing lingerie circulated online.
In a social media post, Meloni added: "The point, however, goes beyond me. Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate, and strike anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot."