Morgan Freeman Is Taking Legal Action Over AI Use Of His Voice Without His Consent — ‘You’re Robbing Me’
AI is causing Morgan Freeman to take legal action.
In conversation with The Guardian, he flagged AI’s growing use within Hollywood. There has been a frenzy following the debut of Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actor created by comedian Eline Van der Velden, who owns AI talent studio Xicoia and production company Particle6, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Velden plans on launching at least 40 more digital performers.
Norwood has received flak from across the entertainment industry, including from “The Color Purple” and “Sister Act” star Whoopi Goldberg.
“The problem with this, in my humble opinion, is that you are suddenly up against something that’s been generated with 5,000 other actors,” Goldberg explained while co-hosting “The View,” according to Variety. “It’s got Bette Davis’ attitude, it’s got Humphrey Bogart’s lips… And so it’s a little bit of an unfair advantage. But you know what? Bring it on. You can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently.”
Freeman is also not impressed with Tilly Norwood.
“Nobody likes her because she’s not real and that takes the part of a real person, so it’s not going to work out very well in the movies or in television … The union’s job is to keep actors acting, so there’s going to be that conflict,” he said, per The Guardian.
Freeman’s dissatisfaction in the use of AI has also hit close to home. His voice work — which helped him land roles in films like “Bruce Almighty” (2003) and “Evan Almighty” (2007) as God — he credits to his instruction from Robert Whitman, a Los Angeles-based voice and diction instructor.
“If you’re going to speak, speak distinctly, hit your final consonance and do exercises to lower your voice. Most people’s voices are higher than they would be normally if they knew how to relax it,” Freeman recalled of his instruction, according to The Guardian. “He taught that sort of thing. It was Robert Whitman: I will never forget him.”
Freeman’s instantly recognizable signature voice has been recreated by AI, with several cases of his likeness used without his consent.
“I’m a little PO’d, you know,” Freeman explained, according to The Guardian. “I’m like any other actor: Don’t mimic me with falseness. I don’t appreciate it and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you’re gonna do it without me, you’re robbing me.”
AI is transforming industries and unlocking new possibilities for creators. While this progress benefits many, it also raises serious concerns for those whose likenesses and unique characteristics are being replicated without consent or compensation.
Freeman is now pursuing legal action.
“I tell you, my lawyers have been very, very busy,” he added.
