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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to trademark her voice, seeking protection against artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, according to the BBC.
The application was filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office on Monday and is listed on the office’s website. Meloni’s office confirmed that it had been submitted.
As part of the application, Meloni recorded a four-second audio clip in which she says “Io sono Giorgia” — “I am Giorgia” — twice. The phrase was also the title of her 2021 autobiography and is associated with her political campaigns.
Meloni’s move comes ahead of Italy’s general election next year. In 2024, she sought €100,000 in damages after deepfake porn videos featuring her were posted online. In May this year, she also warned about the dangers of deepfakes after AI-generated images showing her in lingerie circulated online.
“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,” Meloni wrote in a social media post.
Other public figures have taken steps to protect their identities from unauthorised use by AI. In January, US actor Matthew McConaughey trademarked his image and voice. Singer Taylor Swift filed three trademark applications in the United States in April: one for a photograph of her performing during her Eras Tour and two for audio clips of her introducing herself while promoting her latest album.
In August, more than 80 performers called on British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce legislation granting everyone in the UK a legal right to their voice. Actors Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville and Nicola Coughlan were among those seeking stronger protections against AI use of their voices.
Voice clones are created by training AI systems on recordings of real people. Basic versions can be produced from a few seconds of audio, while higher-quality imitations generally require hours of recordings.
Deepfakes digitally place one person’s face on another person’s body. Deepfake pornography has become widespread online, and victims have spoken publicly about the trauma it causes.
