Filing three new United States trademark applications that cover both her voice and her appearance, Taylor Swift has taken formal steps to protect her identity from the growing wave of artificial intelligence impersonations.
According to Variety, the filings made by the multi-Grammy award winning musician’s TAS Rights Management firm include one application featuring a photo of Swift performing on her record-breaking Eras Tour, and two separate applications tied to short audio clips in which the singer/songwriter introduces herself while promoting her most recent album The Life of a Showgirl.
The aforementioned stance signals a significant escalation in how major recording artists are attempting to shield themselves from AI misuse, which has surged across social media in recent years, including Swift who has repeatedly found herself at the centre of AI-driven fakery, from doctored explicit images to a bogus political clip that falsely portrayed her endorsing Donald Trump.
According to the filing, the image Swift selected to represent her likeness shows her on stage “holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots,” that was used as promotion for her Disney+ Eras Tour concert film.
The two audio trademarks cover Swift saying “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” used on Spotify and Amazon Music during the rollout of The Life of a Showgirl album.
If approved, the trademarks would give the 36-year old mega-star additional leverage to challenge AI-generated voice clones that mimic her speech patterns or use her introductions without permission.
Taylor Swift’s decision follows a similar step taken earlier this year by actor Matthew McConaughey, who became the first major celebrity to use trademark law as a tool to guard his voice and image from AI manipulation.
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Al Dente
Photo: Marcin Wichary from San Francisco, U.S.A.