Italy PM Giorgia Meloni seeks to copyright her voice amid deepfake concerns

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has sought to copyright her voice amid concerns that artificial intelligence could be used to create deepfakes and manipulate her for political purposes.

Meloni has registered a recording of her voice with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), The Telegraph reported. The initiative was first reported by Italian daily La Repubblica and was confirmed to The Telegraph by a government insider.

The recording submitted to the EUIPO includes Meloni repeating the phrase “Io sono Giorgia”, or “I am Giorgia”. The EUIPO website says the application is currently “under examination”.

Deepfakes raise election concerns

Meloni is believed to be concerned about the use of manipulated images and audio as Italy prepares for a general election next year. It would be the first national election in the country since the use of AI became widespread.

The Italian prime minister has previously been targeted by AI-generated fake imagery. In May, she shared a fake photograph showing her sitting on a bed in lingerie to highlight the risks posed by deepfakes.

She described such material as “dangerous” and deceitful.

“But the fact remains that, just to attack and invent falsehoods, nowadays anything at all is used. The point, however, goes beyond me. Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate and strike anyone.”

Meloni also added a lighter note, saying: “I must admit that whoever created them, at least in the attached case, has also improved me quite a bit.”

'I am Giorgia' voice recording

The phrase used in the EUIPO submission is closely associated with Meloni's political identity. She used it prominently in a speech in Spain in 2021, a year before becoming prime minister.

In that speech, she proclaimed: “I am Giorgia, I’m a mother, I’m a woman, I’m Italian, I’m Christian. You won’t take it from me.”

Meloni, Italy's first female prime minister, is seeking a second term and has recently become the country's longest-serving prime minister since the Second World War.

AI manipulation and political risks

Concerns over AI-generated political content extend beyond Italy. Roberto Vannacci, a former special forces commander who founded a hard-Right party earlier this year, has used AI-generated images of himself as a Roman general.

The risks have also been demonstrated in conflict zones. Last month, Houthi rebels in Yemen used an AI-generated voice resembling that of a government-allied commander. The fake recording instructed troops to surrender to advancing Houthi forces. Fighters followed the order before it emerged that the commander's voice had been cloned using AI.