Morgan Freeman's famous baritone is being repurposed for projects the actor did not approve of, and he's not happy about it. In a post on X, Freeman denounced the unauthorized artificial intelligence used in voice cloning and thanked a supporter who notified him and his management that an AI-replicated version of his voice was featured.
“Thank you to all my amazing fans for your vigilance and support in reporting the unauthorised use of an AI voice impersonating me,” Freeman wrote, adding the hashtags “#scam”, “#copycat” and “#privacy”.
I want to thank all my amazing fans for their vigilance and support in pointing out the misuse of the AI voice that imitates me. Your dedication ensures that credibility and honesty come first. Thank you. #AI #Fraud #Imitation #PrivacyPolicyJune 28, 2024
While Freeman didn't mention anyone specifically, his post was likely a reference to a new video in a popular TikTok series in which he talks about the activities of his “niece,” TikTok user @justinescameraroll (aka Justine), in a substitute voice-over for him.
@justinescameraroll ♬ water (instrumental) – no/vox & karaokey
Her “A Day in the Life of Nepo's Niece” videos have garnered more than 1 million combined views from her 2.186 million followers on TikTok and 123,000 followers on Instagram. Her latest post, narrated by a clone of Freeman's voice, was captioned, “Uncle Mo is booked and busy but I finally got him to narrate my trip!” A post of the video that was subsequently shared on X reached 16.4 million people, which may have prompted Freeman to respond given the timing.
Justin later confirmed in a follow-up video that his video didn't use Freeman's real voice, adding, “I was just having some fun.”
Famous fakes
Freeman's voice is so iconic that there has been a surge in interest in imitating him in everything from social media videos to movie narrations. ElevenLabs created a voice specifically designed to imitate Freeman's voice. For example, the documentary “The Power of Chi” lists Freeman as the narrator and is listed as such on IMDB, but Freeman never mentions a narrator. Additionally, as you can hear at the link, his voice in the film sounds a bit off. He could just be doing a random voiceover to get paid for an obscure documentary, or it could be an AI.
Freeman isn't the only celebrity worried about AI imitations of their face and voice being used without their permission. In May, actress Scarlett Johansson expressed outrage after discovering an OpenAI chatbot that sounded eerily similar to her own. Johansson, who played an AI assistant in the 2013 film “Avengers: Endgame,” said: she, OpenAI found the situation particularly disturbing, and while it did not admit any fault, it responded by announcing plans to stop using ChatGPT's voice that resembles Johansson.
The same goes for videos that use deepfakes of celebrities to make people think they are endorsing a scam: Tom Hanks had to warn his fans about deepfake videos of him appearing on social media, as did trusted UK consumer advice guide Martin Lewis, who warned about deepfake videos trying to trick people into transferring money to fraudulent investments.
The rapid advancement of AI has outpaced regulatory efforts, leading to situations where individuals' voices and likenesses are being copied without their consent. Concerns about AI imitation extend beyond actors: AI music production startups Suno and Udio are being sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and major music labels for copyright infringement.
