Actors Hugh Bonneville, Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas have joined a campaign urging the government to stop AI companies from cloning their voices without permission.
They are among almost 80 performers backing Save Our Voices Now, an initiative seeking legal protection against technology that can copy a person's voice and generate synthetic speech without consent.
As part of the campaign, performers have signed an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham demanding clear, enforceable and legal ownership of their voices. An accompanying online petition requests that voice ownership be established for everyone as a statutory right.
Bonneville, 62, is best known for starring as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey and playing Mr Brown in the Paddington films. Coughlan achieved international prominence in Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls and Netflix period drama Bridgerton, while Lucas is widely recognized for co-creating Little Britain and co-hosting The Great British Bake Off.
Emphasizing the personal importance of vocal identity, Bonneville 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," Bonneville added.
Open letter to the government
The open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also been signed by 47-year-old Welsh actor Luke Evans, who starred as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit trilogy, alongside 48-year-old actor Siobhan McSweeney.
McSweeney, an Irish actress who won a BAFTA for her role as Sister Michael in Derry Girls, expressed strong alarm over how rapidly voice cloning software is advancing compared to legal safeguards.
"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," McSweeney said.
She emphasized that artificial intelligence should assist creative professionals rather than replace human performers entirely.
"I believe 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," McSweeney added.
"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," she said.
Concerns over technological advances
The Save Our Voices Now campaign was founded by actor and voice artist Peter Caulfield, who warned of the speed at which generative software can copy vocal patterns.
Caulfield compared the threat to Black Mirror, the dystopian anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker that explores the unintended consequences of modern technology.
"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 said.
Caulfield said the bottom line is the Government is allowing artificial intelligence 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," he added.
Call for Danish style regulations
Campaigners want Britain to follow the legislative example set by Denmark, which has moved to give its citizens full legal control over AI-generated imitations of their face, body and voice.
Under the Danish legal protections, individuals can demand the immediate removal of unauthorized AI content and seek financial compensation for any misuse of their identity or voice.
