ROME — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has applied to trademark her voice with the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office, seeking to protect herself against AI-generated deepfakes. The application filed with the EU agency includes a four-second audio recording of Meloni repeating the phrase, in Italian, “Io sono Giorgia Meloni” (“I am Giorgia Meloni”), according to the EU office’s records on Monday. The filing, first reported by Italian daily La Repubblica, was confirmed by an Italian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Meloni’s move comes as governments, regulators and public figures grapple with the rapid spread of artificial intelligence tools capable of convincingly replicating voices and images. The recorded phrase echoes Meloni’s famous declaration at a 2019 political rally: “I am Giorgia, I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am Christian.” The slogan became widely known in Italy and inspired a viral dance remix. “Io sono Giorgia” was also the title of her 2021 autobiography. Manipulated images of Meloni have repeatedly circulated online in recent years and have at times been passed off as authentic. Among them was a fake image showing her sitting on a bed in her underwear. Meloni has warned that deepfakes can “deceive, manipulate and harm anyone,” urging users to verify online content before sharing it. “I can defend myself, but many others cannot,” she said in May, after fake images of her surfaced online. Pop star Taylor Swift was among the most prominent targets of deepfakes in 2024, after sexually explicit AI-generated images falsely depicting her spread widely online, fueling calls for stronger legal protections against unauthorized digital replicas. Matthew McConaughey was one of the first major celebrities to use trademark registrations to secure rights to voice clips and motion elements. Fellow actor Scarlett Johansson also raised concerns about AI-generated voices after objecting to an OpenAI chatbot voice that she said sounded “eerily similar” to her own. She had declined to participate in the project. OpenAI denied intentionally imitating Johansson’s voice and later withdrew the feature. And in Japan last week, a court awarded legal protection to the human voice for the first time. The case involved a popular Japanese anime voice actor who demanded that TikTok close an account over its unauthorized use of an AI clone of his trademark baritone. Italian media reported that even if Meloni’s application is approved, the trademark will not automatically prevent AI-generated imitations of her voice. It could, however, provide an additional legal tool against unauthorized use. The filing follows a separate legal battle launched by Meloni in 2024 against a man accused of creating and posting deepfake pornographic images using her likeness. The case remains pending before an Italian court. Giada Zampano, The Associated Press
