Italian PM files to trademark her voice against AI threats

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has submitted an application to trademark her voice with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in an effort to shield herself from artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes. The office confirmed the submission on Monday. As part of the application, Meloni recorded a brief four-second audio clip featuring her repeating the phrase, "Io sono Giorgia" – which translates to "I am Giorgia Meloni" in Italian – twice.

Meloni is not the only prominent figure to take such protective measures. In January, US actor Matthew McConaughey became the first high-profile individual to trademark his image and voice. Singer Taylor Swift followed suit in April by filing three trademark applications in the United States, encompassing a photo of her on stage during her Eras Tour, as well as two audio clips of her introducing herself during her promotional efforts for her latest album.

In August, over 80 performers urged British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce legislation granting every individual in the UK the legal right to own their voice, citing concerns over AI-generated voice clones.

Establishing a digital replica of a person's voice typically involves training AI algorithms on recordings of the individual's speech. Quick voice clones can be generated from just a few seconds of audio, while more sophisticated and realistic versions may require hours of processing. Meloni's decision to trademark her voice precedes Italy's upcoming general elections in the coming year.

The four-word phrase, "Io sono Giorgia", was the title of Meloni's autobiographical book published in 2021 and has become closely associated with her political campaigns.

In 2024, Meloni initiated a €100,000 (£84,920) lawsuit seeking damages for the release of deepfake pornographic videos featuring her. Deepfake images are created by digitally inserting the face of one person onto the body of another, often using AI technology. Deepfake porn has gained widespread attention in recent years, with victims sharing their experiences of the distress caused by such manipulations.

Earlier this month, Meloni cautioned about the risks of deepfakes, as numerous AI-generated images depicting her wearing lingerie started circulating on the internet. In a social media post, she warned, "The point, however, goes beyond me. Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, as they can deceive, manipulate, and threaten anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot."