UK actors demand AI voice cloning laws to protect performers' rights

Actors Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville, Nicola Coughlan and more than 80 other performers have written to the UK government demanding a new law that would give every person a legal right to own their voice. The campaign, launched by audiobook narrator Alice Sockett, seeks legislation that would protect performers from having their voices copied by artificial‑intelligence (AI) systems without permission.

Voice‑cloning technology trains AI on recordings of real people. According to the letter, “quick versions can be made in minutes from a few seconds of audio, but high‑quality copycats tend to require hours.” Sockett said the industry is “facing an existential threat” and added, “My voice is out there in the public domain but completely unprotected. We’re seeing voice theft increase every week.”

The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. A government spokesperson acknowledged that “digital replicas can be a powerful tool, including for the creative industries,” but also noted the potential for harm. “We value and protect human creators, and that is why we have announced we will launch a consultation on how we address these harms, while protecting legitimate innovation,” the spokesperson said.

Siobhán McSweeney, who plays Mooney in the BBC series *Derry Girls*, signed the letter and said she was “deeply worried” that the government was lagging behind. “There is a way to work alongside AI and to use it as a tool that benefits us rather than rendering us obsolete,” she told the BBC. “Our audiences want that human connection. Not AI.”

Other signatories include Scottish singer Sandi Thom, best known for the 2006 hit “I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair).” Thom said she was signing the letter because her voice was “unique to me and was handed to me at birth.” She added, “Behind that voice is the emotion, the life, the pain, the tears and joy that I’ve felt along the way. Without creativity, we are nothing.”

Lawyers have warned that current UK legislation is “unfit for purpose” in the face of AI advances. Dr Mathilde Pavis told the BBC in June that “the law comes close, but it doesn't fully protect your voice, your face or your identity.”

Not all reactions to voice‑cloning technology are negative. Yvonne Johnson, who lost her voice to motor neurone disease, said the ability to have her voice cloned by AI had “totally blown her mind” and helped her reconnect with family members who had forgotten how she sounded. Pam Cronrath of Washington state used AI to create a holographic representation of her late husband, who addressed mourners at his funeral. “I was completely impressed,” she told BBC News. “It stayed with me.”

The campaign’s appeal comes a few months after a group of industry experts called for clearer legal protections for performers. The government’s forthcoming consultation will examine how best to balance the creative possibilities of AI with the need to safeguard the personal rights of artists. The outcome could set a precedent for how the UK treats the ownership of intangible personal attributes such as voice and appearance.