Morgan Freeman could be resting on his laurels as an acclaimed actor with an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award to his credit. Instead, he is taking on a fight for his own identity.
Suggested Reading
In a move that could be straight from a Netflix “Black Mirror” episode, 88-year-old Freeman is speaking out against AI for cloning of his iconic voice, telling The Guardian that the use of his voice without his permission is equivalent to stealing.
““I’m a little PO’d, you know. 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,” he said.
According to The Independent, Freeman said his lawyers have been “very, very busy” in researching cases involving the unauthorized use of his voice or its likeness.
Known for his diction and trained voice, Freeman’s most memorable roles include Joe Clark in “Lean on Me” (1989), Red— the narrator in “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994), God in “Bruce Almighty” (2003), and Lucius Fox in the “Dark Knight” trilogy (2005-2012). Freeman has also narrated numerous nature documentaries and commercials.
In his interview, Freeman also discussed his take on Tilly Norwood, a studio-created AI actress. “Nobody likes her because she’s not real and that takes the part of a real person, so it is not going to work out very well in the movies or in television,” the actor said, per the outlet.
Reactions on social media reflected a range of opinions on Freeman’s stance against AI voice cloning.
One Instagram user said, “There’s a girl on TikTok who has gotten really popular using his voice for her vlogs. It’s cute. I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm.”
However, not everyone agreed with her lighthearted assessment. Another user commented, “It’s not harm it’s content without his consent.”
A third user echoed that sentiment: “It’s not a free for all because someone likes to do something. We like to say ‘the internet is not a real place’
But it is and there are indeed consequences for violating someone’s rights. It’s the same as touching you without your permission but in ‘cyber’ world.”
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.