Understand
Italy PM Giorgia Meloni files to trademark her voice to protect against AI deepfakes
Overview
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office to trademark her voice as a protection against artificial intelligence deepfakes and unauthorised voice cloning. As part of the application, she submitted a short audio recording saying her well-known political slogan, "Io sono Giorgia". The move follows similar actions by international public figures like Matthew McConaughey and Taylor Swift, and comes amid broader concerns regarding the misuse of AI-generated imagery and audio.
Key points
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office to trademark her voice.
- The application includes a four-second audio recording where she repeats her signature phrase "Io sono Giorgia" twice.
- Other global figures, including US actor Matthew McConaughey and singer Taylor Swift, have previously taken steps to trademark their voices and images against AI threats.
- Meloni has previously faced issues with deepfake technology, including seeking damages in 2024 over deepfake pornographic videos uploaded online.
- The trademark filing precedes Italy's general elections scheduled for next year.