Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to trademark her voice in an effort to prevent its unauthorised use in AI-generated deepfakes ahead of next year’s general election.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to trademark her voice in a bid to protect her identity from artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes.
The application was submitted to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on Monday (05.10.26) and has been confirmed by Meloni’s office.
As part of the application, Meloni recorded a four-second audio clip in which she says “Io sono Giorgia”, or “I am Giorgia”, twice in Italian.
The phrase is closely associated with the prime minister and was also the title of her 2021 autobiography.
Meloni’s move comes as politicians, celebrities and performers increasingly seek greater protection against AI tools capable of cloning people’s voices and likenesses.
US actor Matthew McConaughey trademarked his image and voice in January, while singer Taylor Swift submitted three trademark applications in the US in April, including two covering audio recordings of her voice.
In August, more than 80 performers called on UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce legislation giving people a legal right to control the use of their voices.
Actors including Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville and Nicola Coughlan were among those supporting the campaign.
AI voice clones can be created by training models on recordings of real people.
Basic imitations can reportedly be produced using just a few seconds of audio, while more convincing copies generally require substantially more material.
Meloni’s application comes ahead of Italy’s general election next year, raising concerns about the potential use of convincing AI-generated material in political campaigns.
The prime minister has previously been the target of deepfake abuse.
In 2024, she sought €100,000 (£84,920) in damages after pornographic deepfake videos featuring her were uploaded online.
Deepfake technology can digitally manipulate a person’s face or voice to make it appear that they have said or done something they did not.
Meloni also warned about the wider risks of the technology in May, after AI-generated images showing her wearing lingerie circulated online.
She said in a social media post: “The point, however, goes beyond me. Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate, and strike anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot.”
The trademark application represents another attempt by a public figure to establish greater control over their identity as increasingly sophisticated AI systems make it easier to create convincing digital replicas.
For Meloni, protecting the phrase “Io sono Giorgia” could also help safeguard a recognisable part of her political identity as Italy approaches its next election.
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni applies to trademark voice against AI deepfakes
