Marques Brownlee slams company for cloning his voice without consent
Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee recently expressed frustration after a company allegedly cloned his voice using AI to promote a product without his consent.
Brownlee took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the issue, stating, "It's happening. There are real companies who will just use an AI-created rip of my voice to promote their stuff. And there's really no repercussions for it other than being known as this scummy shady company."
Brownlee shared an Instagram post from February 14 on Dot’s official page, which has since been deleted. Dot, the company in question, offers various networking products, including the Dot Metal, which was reportedly promoted using the AI-cloned voice. According to their website, Dot Metal is a premium networking card designed for professional use with advanced scanning technology and a luxurious matte finish.
It's happening. There are real companies who will just use an AI-created rip of my voice to promote their stuff. And there's really no repercussions for it other than being known as this scummy shady company that is willing to stoop that low to sell some product pic.twitter.com/Y12XGKNqFO
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) October 14, 2024
Users on X reacted to Brownlee’s post, with one saying, "It’s pretty easy to figure out it’s not you, but will confuse people who don’t frequently watch you." Another pointed out potential legal repercussions, stating, "There are repercussions—this is the most straightforward legal case ever, and you’d most certainly win."
The unauthorized use of Brownlee’s voice has raised concerns about the ethical implications of voice cloning technology, with one user questioning, "How come companies made voice cloning available without any sort of limit or oversight?"
As of now, Dot has not issued a public response regarding the use of Brownlee's voice in their promotions.