Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas are among the actors backing a campaign to challenge the growing use of artificial intelligence voice cloning. The campaign, Save Our Voices Now, wants stronger protection for people whose voices can be copied and made to say anything an AI system is prompted to produce.
The issue reaches beyond entertainment. The campaign claims that 28% of UK adults report being targeted by a voice-cloning scam, adding to concerns about consent, compensation, identity and job security. About 80 people have signed an open letter to the prime minister, Andy Burnham, calling for action.
A Gov.uk petition has also been launched. It asks for everyone in Britain to receive ownership of their voice as part of their statutory rights, giving people a clearer way to challenge unauthorised uses.
Actors want control over their own voices
Save Our Voices Now was founded by Peter Caulfield, who says voice cloning can happen without a person knowing. “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.”
Caulfield says the problem affects both artists and the public. “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.”
Hugh Bonneville, another supporter, described a person’s voice as part of their identity. “My voice is unique, it’s mine, it’s part of my identity. So is yours. That’s worth speaking up about.” He also made clear that his statement was created by him: “The quote was handwritten, not created by AI.”
The campaign has support from Luke Evans, Jen Brister, Siobhán McSweeney and Pearl Mackie, alongside Coughlan, Lucas and Bonneville. McSweeney, the Derry Girls actor, says the law and industry rules have not kept pace with the technology.
“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,” she said.
McSweeney does not frame the issue as a simple choice between people and technology. “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.”
A divided industry and a possible legal model
The entertainment industry remains divided over AI voice cloning. Some big-name Hollywood voice actors license lucrative replicas of their voices, while freelancers see jobs vanish and fear that training an AI system may help create their own replacements.
AI voices are replacing human work in advertisements, audiobooks and online videos. Most freelance gigs remain unregulated, leaving newcomers vulnerable to predatory contracts. For mid-career talent, the pressure can mean slashed incomes, difficult choices and, in some cases, unauthorised uses of their voices.
That split helps explain why the campaign is asking for rights that apply to everyone, not only performers with the money or bargaining power to negotiate special agreements. A voice may be used for paid work, but the campaign argues that ownership and consent must remain with the person whose voice it is.
Denmark offers one possible direction. Law reforms there are giving citizens legal ownership over their own face, body and voice. The reforms allow people to demand the removal of unauthorised AI content and seek compensation.
For Save Our Voices Now, that approach connects two problems that are often treated separately: the loss of creative work and the misuse of personal identity. A cloned voice can affect an actor’s income, but it can also be used in scams or made to deliver words the real person never approved.
The petition and open letter now put those concerns before the government. Their central demand is simple: people should have a recognised right to control how their voices are copied, used and altered.
As voice-cloning systems become capable of producing convincing speech from a short sample, the campaign is pressing for legislation before unauthorised replicas become a routine part of work, advertising and online media.
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