Morgan Freeman calls out ‘unauthorized’ use of AI replicating his voice in a TikTok video
He may have been the voice of God, but he’s against other people playing it on him.
Morgan Freeman, 87, is calling out a TikTok voiceover that uses artificial intelligence to mimic his iconic voice.
The Oscar-winning actor shared a statement on social media, writing, “Thank you to my incredible fans for your vigilance and support in calling out the unauthorized use of an A.I. voice imitating me. Your dedication helps authenticity and integrity remain paramount. Grateful,” he wrote, adding the hashtags #AI #scam #imitation #IdentityProtection.
Called “Justine’s Camera Roll,” the TikTok account shared a video of a woman pretending to be Freeman’s niece – “Narrated by me, Morgan Freeman,” the voiceover says, sounding similar to the actor’s baritone, which is famous for narrating nature documentaries such as “Life on Our Planet” and playing the voice of God in “Bruce Almighty.”
The creator later called the video an “obvious joke.”
The clip narrates a day in the life of Freeman’s “niece,” saying, “Justine begged for money for what she said would be a cultural experience in Spain,” as video clips show the girl appearing to tour Spain.
The AI-version continues, “She asked for my credit card to book what she claimed was a little activity for her birthday. Imagine my surprise when I was charged for a yacht. Basically, she embezzled.”
At the end of the video, the AI voice says, “I just can’t say no to her, apparently.” The TikToker captioned the video, “Uncle Mo has been booked and busy, but i finally got him to narrate my trip! … EMBEZZELED!?” She also included the hashtag #ai.
Comments on the video made it clear that not all viewers understood that it wasn’t really Freeman narrating.
“They’re on Twitter thinking this is really Morgan Freeman,” one person wrote, while another said, “People not knowing this is AI 😭 we’re doomed.”
Another viewer commented, “He is so funny,” seemingly thinking that it was really Freeman.
Freeman is the latest celebrity to fall victim to AI impersonating him without his consent.
In January, AI-generated deepfake “porn” photos of Taylor Swift went viral on X, formerly Twitter.
In May, Scarlett Johansson blasted a new ChatGPT feature from OpenAI for using a voice that sounded “eerily similar” to her, as the Marvel star revealed that she had rejected working with the company.
In June, Sheryl Crow called Drake “hateful” for using an AI-generated version of Tupac Shakur’s voice in his Kendrick Lamar diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
In a follow-up video shared June 30, the creator defended using the Freeman AI voice, saying that she was “having a little bit of fun.”
“I just thought it’d be funny, OK? . . . It’s an obvious joke but people don’t have discernment,” she added. “I thought that it was very obvious that this was a joke. And now Uncle Mo is upset with me. If anyone from his team is watching, I am so sorry.”
