Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas among stars backing campaign against AI voice cloning

About 80 people sign open letter to Andy Burnham calling for legislation to protect voice ownership

Nicola Coughlan, Hugh Bonneville and Matt Lucas are among a group of actors backing a campaign against artificial intelligence voice cloning.

Save Our Voices Now, which is also being supported by Luke Evans, Jen Brister, Siobhán McSweeney and Pearl Mackie, aims to stop the practice in which AI technology is used to replicate a real person’s voice to say anything it is prompted to.

Bonneville, the star of Paddington and Downton Abbey, said: “My voice is unique, it’s mine, it’s part of my identity. So is yours. That’s worth speaking up about.”

“The quote was handwritten, not created by AI,” he added.

About 80 people have added their signatures to an open letter to the prime minister, Andy Burnham , and a Gov.uk petition has been launched to ask for everyone in Britain to be given ownership of their voice as part of their statutory rights.

The Derry Girls actor McSweeney said: “I’m deeply worried that legislation, contracts, working practices and ethics, and artists’ rights are not being considered or protected as quickly as AI technology is progressing.

“I believe that there is a way to work alongside AI and to use it as a tool that benefits us rather than rendering us obsolete. This is an existential problem and needs to be controlled legislatively as soon as possible. My voice is one of my tools.

“In order to adapt and move with technological advances, I don’t see why we should remove the human from the equation. Our audiences want that human connection. Not AI.”

The campaign claims that 28% of UK adults report they have been targeted by a voice-cloning scam.

The founder of Save Our Voices Now, Peter Caulfield, said: “In just three seconds, with the right AI system, your voice can be cloned, stolen and reinterpreted without your knowledge. It’s a Black Mirror episode, except this isn’t fiction. It’s happening right now.

“The bottom line is the government is allowing AI companies to steal and profit from artists’ voices without their consent. They are also allowing criminals to use AI to clone people’s identities and threaten everyone. We need to use our real voices now to stop it.”

In Denmark, law reforms are giving citizens legal ownership over their own face, body and voice, allowing them to demand removal of unauthorised AI content and seek compensation.