Nicola Coughlan, the star of Netflix’s hit series “Bridgerton,” recently experienced a disturbing encounter with AI technology when she discovered an unauthorized AI-generated clone of her voice on TikTok. Named one of Time’s 2024 Next Generation Leaders, Coughlan told the publication that she stumbled upon a video featuring what appeared to be her voice reading lines from a “Bridgerton” novel—dialogue she had never actually recorded.
“It was just an AI version of my voice, and it spooked me so badly,” Coughlan revealed to Time. “I was like, ‘I hate this.’” The incident highlights the growing problem of unauthorized AI-generated content featuring celebrities’ vocal likenesses spreading across social media platforms.
Coughlan is far from alone in facing this issue. Drake spoke out in April 2023 about an AI-generated cover featuring his vocal likeness rapping Ice Spice’s “Munch.” K-pop group Seventeen even parodied an AI-generated cover of themselves singing fellow group Illit’s single “Magnetic” this year. The phenomenon has become so widespread that there’s an entire sub-genre of content featuring AI-generated voices of U.S. presidents—including Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama—engaging in fictional conversations while playing video games or Dungeons & Dragons. These videos regularly accumulate millions of views on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
The corporate use of AI voice technology has also sparked controversy. Scarlett Johansson issued a statement in May claiming that OpenAI’s new ChatGPT voice, “Sky,” was “eerily similar” to her own voice, despite her having declined an offer to voice the technology months earlier. OpenAI responded by pausing Sky’s use “out of respect” for the actor, though the company maintained the voice wasn’t intended to resemble Johansson.
AI has become a major point of contention for Hollywood labor unions, particularly during the 2023 dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes and the ongoing video-game performers strike. These negotiations center on how studios can use performers’ likenesses and the compensation owed to them. However, fan-generated content remains harder to regulate. Voice actor Connor Fogarty told Business Insider in September that he encountered AI-generated videos featuring his voice on social media, describing the experience as making him feel “odd” when seeing his character’s voice used in unauthorized flirtatious content with TikTok users. Meanwhile, top talent continues leaving established AI companies like OpenAI and Stable Diffusion to launch their own startups, drawing significant venture capital investment.
Key Quotes
It was just an AI version of my voice, and it spooked me so badly. I was like, ‘I hate this.’
Nicola Coughlan described her reaction to discovering an AI-generated clone of her voice reading “Bridgerton” dialogue on TikTok. This quote captures the visceral discomfort many performers feel when encountering unauthorized digital replicas of themselves.
I understand people might have attractions to fictional characters, but to see my iteration of the character and my ‘voice’ flirting with some TikToker I didn’t know, it just made me feel odd.
Voice actor Connor Fogarty explained his experience finding AI-generated content using his voice in unauthorized romantic scenarios on social media. This highlights how AI voice cloning can be used in ways that make performers uncomfortable, even when created by fans.
Our Take
The Coughlan incident represents a watershed moment in the AI voice cloning debate, bringing mainstream attention to what has been a growing concern in creative industries. What’s particularly troubling is the ease with which these AI voice clones are created and distributed on social media platforms, which lack adequate safeguards or detection mechanisms. The entertainment industry’s response—making AI a central bargaining issue in union negotiations—suggests performers recognize this as an existential threat to their livelihoods. However, the real challenge lies in enforcement: while studios can be contractually bound, regulating fan-generated content on platforms like TikTok remains nearly impossible. This creates a two-tier system where corporate use faces scrutiny while social media remains a Wild West of unauthorized AI-generated content. The migration of AI talent from established companies to well-funded startups also signals that voice cloning technology will only become more sophisticated and accessible, making this problem more acute.
Why This Matters
This story underscores the urgent need for AI regulation and digital rights protection in the entertainment industry and beyond. As AI voice cloning technology becomes increasingly accessible and sophisticated, celebrities and everyday voice actors alike face unauthorized use of their vocal likenesses, raising critical questions about consent, compensation, and digital identity rights.
The incident reflects broader tensions between technological innovation and individual rights that are reshaping Hollywood and the creative industries. The fact that major labor unions have made AI a central issue in contract negotiations—including during the historic 2023 strikes—demonstrates how deeply this technology threatens traditional employment models and intellectual property protections.
For businesses, this highlights the legal and ethical minefield surrounding AI-generated content. While fan-created content may seem harmless, it exists in a regulatory gray area that could expose platforms and creators to liability. The entertainment industry’s struggle with AI voice cloning serves as a warning for other sectors where personal likeness and identity are valuable assets. As AI technology continues to advance, society must grapple with fundamental questions about ownership of one’s voice and image in the digital age.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/nicola-coughlan-ai-voice-bridgerton-vocal-likeness-2024-10