Latest news with #Lovo
Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Voice actors can pursue some claims over AI voiceovers, US court says
July 10 (Reuters) - A federal judge in New York ruled on Thursday that a pair of voice actors can move ahead with a lawsuit accusing AI voiceover startup Lovo of violating their rights by using their voices in its technology without permission. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken dismissed, opens new tab most of the federal copyright and trademark law claims in the lawsuit but denied Lovo's bid to dismiss claims that it violated the actors' publicity rights. Oetken also permitted the actors to amend their claim that Lovo's AI training infringed their copyrights. The case is part of a wave of lawsuits in which tech companies have been accused of misusing content including books, news articles and song lyrics to train generative AI systems. The actors' attorney, Steve Cohen of Pollock Cohen, called the decision a "spectacular victory" and said he was "confident that a jury will come to the same conclusions as Judge Oetken and hold big tech accountable." Spokespeople and attorneys for Lovo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision. Plaintiffs Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage said in the proposed class action filed last year that they were approached on freelancer marketplace Fiverr to provide voiceover work for anonymous clients. Lehrman was allegedly told his voice would be used only for a "research project," while Sage was told her voice would be used only with "test scripts for radio ads." The actors said they later learned Lovo sold the use of Lehrman's voice to subscribers as "Kyle Snow" and Sage's as "Sally Coleman." According to the complaint, the company responded to a cease-and-desist letter by claiming that the actors' voices were "not popular" and that their sales were "negligible." Lovo asked the court in January to dismiss the case. "Plaintiffs continue to try to tell a tale filled with pathos and the woes of artificial intelligence," the company said in a court filing. "However, their story and concern do not relate to Lovo's interactions with named Plaintiffs and fails to state an actionable claim." Oetken concluded the actors were not entitled to trademark protection for their voices and that Lovo's "imperfect mimicry" of them did not infringe their copyrights. The judge, however, said the actors could file an updated complaint alleging Lovo's use of their voice recordings for AI training violated their copyrights. He also said the actors could advance their claim that Lovo violated their commercial rights in their voices under New York law. The case is Lehrman v. Lovo Inc, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:24-cv-03770. For the voice actors: Steve Cohen of Pollock Cohen For Lovo: David Case and Michael Lazaroff of Rimon Law Read more: AI voiceover company stole voices of actors, New York lawsuit claims
NBC News
10-03-2025
- NBC News
AI can steal your voice, and there's not much you can do about it
Most leading artificial intelligence voice cloning programs have no meaningful barriers to stop people from nonconsensually impersonating others, a Consumer Reports investigation found. Voice cloning AI technology has made remarkable strides in recent years, and many services can effectively mimic a person's cadence with only a few seconds of sample audio. A flashpoint moment came during the Democratic primaries last year, when robocalls of a fake Joe Biden spammed the phones of voters telling them not to vote. The political consultant who admitted to masterminding the scheme was fined $6 million, and the Federal Communications Commission has since banned AI-generated robocalls. A new survey of the six leading publicly available AI voice cloning tools found that five have easily bypassable safeguards, making it simple to clone a person's voice without their consent. Deepfake audio detection software often struggles to tell the difference between real and synthetic voices. Generative AI, which mimics human qualities such as their appearance, writing and voices, is a new and rapidly evolving technology, and the industry has few federal regulations. Most ethical and safety checks in the industry at large are self-imposed. Biden had included some safety demands in his executive order on AI, which he signed in 2023, though President Donald Trump revoked that order when he took office. Voice cloning technology works by taking an audio sample of a person speaking and then extrapolating that person's voice into a synthetic audio file. Without safeguards in place, anyone who registers an account can simply upload audio of an individual speaking, such as from a TikTok or YouTube video, and have the service imitate them. Four of the services — ElevenLabs, Speechify, PlayHT and Lovo — simply require checking a box saying that the person whose voice is being cloned had given authorization. Another service, Resemble AI, requires recording audio in real time, rather than allowing a person to just upload a recording. But Consumer Reports was able to easily circumvent that restriction by simply playing an audio recording from a computer. Only the sixth service, Descript, had a somewhat effective safeguard. It requires a would-be cloner to record a specific consent statement, which is difficult to falsify except through cloning through another service. All six services are available to the public via their websites. Only Eleven Labs and Resemble AI cost money — respectively $5 and $1 — to create a custom voice clone. The others are free. Some of the companies claim that abuse of their tool can have serious negative consequences. 'We recognize the potential for misuse of this powerful tool and have implemented robust safeguards to prevent the creation of deepfakes and protect against voice impersonation,' a spokesperson for Resemble AI told NBC News in an emailed statement. There are legitimate uses for AI voice cloning, including helping people with disabilities and creating audio translations of people speaking in different languages. But there is also enormous potential for harm, said Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, a think tank that focuses on the consequences of AI policy. 'This could obviously be used for fraud, scams and disinformation, for example impersonating institutional figures,' West told NBC News. There is little research on the scope of how often AI is used in audio-based scams. In so-called grandparent scams, a criminal makes a phone call to a person claiming an emergency involving a family member, like they have been kidnapped, arrested or injured. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that such scams may use AI, though the scams predate the technology.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
AI can steal your voice, and there's not much you can do about it
Most leading artificial intelligence voice cloning programs have no meaningful barriers to stop people from nonconsensually impersonating others, a Consumer Reports investigation found. Voice cloning AI technology has made remarkable strides in recent years, and many services can effectively mimic a person's cadence with only a few seconds of sample audio. A flashpoint moment came during the Democratic primaries last year, when robocalls of a fake Joe Biden spammed the phones of voters telling them not to vote. The political consultant who admitted to masterminding the scheme was fined $6 million, and the Federal Communications Commission has since banned AI-generated robocalls. A new survey of the six leading publicly available AI voice cloning tools found that five have easily bypassable safeguards, making it simple to clone a person's voice without their consent. Deepfake audio detection software often struggles to tell the difference between real and synthetic voices. Generative AI, which mimics human qualities such as their appearance, writing and voices, is a new and rapidly evolving technology, and the industry has few federal regulations. Most ethical and safety checks in the industry at large are self-imposed. Biden had included some safety demands in his executive order on AI, which he signed in 2023, though President Donald Trump revoked that order when he took office. Voice cloning technology works by taking an audio sample of a person speaking and then extrapolating that person's voice into a synthetic audio file. Without safeguards in place, anyone who registers an account can simply upload audio of an individual speaking, such as from a TikTok or YouTube video, and have the service imitate them. Four of the services — ElevenLabs, Speechify, PlayHT and Lovo — simply require checking a box saying that the person whose voice is being cloned had given authorization. Another service, Resemble AI, requires recording audio in real time, rather than allowing a person to just upload a recording. But Consumer Reports was able to easily circumvent that restriction by simply playing an audio recording from a computer. Only the sixth service, Descript, had a somewhat effective safeguard. It requires a would-be cloner to record a specific consent statement, which is difficult to falsify except through cloning through another service. All six services are available to the public via their websites. Only Eleven Labs and Resemble AI cost money — respectively $5 and $1 — to create a custom voice clone. The others are free. Some of the companies claim that abuse of their tool can have serious negative consequences. 'We recognize the potential for misuse of this powerful tool and have implemented robust safeguards to prevent the creation of deepfakes and protect against voice impersonation,' a spokesperson for Resemble AI told NBC News in an emailed statement. There are legitimate uses for AI voice cloning, including helping people with disabilities and creating audio translations of people speaking in different languages. But there is also enormous potential for harm, said Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, a think tank that focuses on the consequences of AI policy. 'This could obviously be used for fraud, scams and disinformation, for example impersonating institutional figures,' West told NBC News. There is little research on the scope of how often AI is used in audio-based scams. In so-called grandparent scams, a criminal makes a phone call to a person claiming an emergency involving a family member, like they have been kidnapped, arrested or injured. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that such scams may use AI, though the scams predate the technology. Cloned voices have been used to create music without the depicted artist's permission, as happened with a viral 2023 song that falsely seemed to be by Drake and the Weeknd, and some musicians have struggled to control their image when other people release music with their voices. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
2 men charged in connection to multiple drug, firearm offenses in Silver Spring
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. () — The Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) said two men were arrested Tuesday in connection to multiple drug and firearm offenses in Silver Spring. MCPD said that at about 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 25, officers saw a drug transaction in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1100 block of East West Highway. Officers then stopped the vehicle, which was being driven by Gerardo Lovo, 21, of Lovettsville, Va., and found drugs in his possession, according to the police department. They also found powder and crack cocaine after searching the vehicle. Lovo was arrested and charged. Police: Rockville man charged in rape of child, investigators searching for more victims Police noted that a second vehicle, driven by Kendel Tramel Young, 32, of Capitol Heights, Md., hit a police car while trying to flee. After officers arrested Young, they reported finding a loaded Glock 29 10mm gun in his possession and drugs in his car. Officers said the gun that was in Young's possession was reported stolen from Prince George's County. Young was charged with first-degree assault, CDS distribution with a firearm, CDS distribution of narcotics, CDS possession with intent to distribute cannabis, possession of a loaded handgun on person, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. Lovo was charged with CDS possession (not cannabis) and CDS possession with intent to distribute narcotics (cocaine). Officers took Young and Lovo to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. They are being held on no bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UNM's Fernando Lovo details 'staggering' economic impact of Lobo athletics
Feb. 13—It's not hard to count New Mexico's recent on-field — and on-court — successes. A men's basketball program off to a record-breaking start? Check. A football program that notched its first ranked win in over 20 years? Check. And a track and field program continuing to set school and conference records at a near-weekly pace? Check again. As for counting its off-field successes? Thursday was all about that. Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, UNM Athletic Director Fernando Lovo, President Garnett S. Stokes and head football coach Jason Eck detailed the "staggering" economic impact Lobo athletics has on Albuquerque during a presentation at the Embassy Suites. Addressing roughly 200 business and community leaders, Lovo said UNM athletics generates nearly $75.2 million worth of yearly economic activity across Albuquerque, per a study contracted by the department. Over $150 million in local direct and indirect revenue over the last three years was traced to Lobo athletic events, he added, representing nearly a fourth of the total economic impact provided by the department in that span. "Investing in athletics is investing in economic development," Lovo said. "The numbers don't lie." The study also revealed the athletic department has brought in $252 million in advertising value through nationally televised football and basketball games over the last three years. With six games on ESPN, FS1 and truTV last season, Lobo football brought in an estimated $97 million worth of organic exposure for the school and Albuquerque as a whole — the equivalent of $86 million invested in manual advertising campaigns, Lovo said. "It's irreplaceable advertising," said Eck, UNM's first-year coach. "You could never get that advertising (anywhere else) ... when they put those TV cameras (out) and show that packed house, show the hot air balloons out in the distance, I think that's great advertising for the city as we continue to grow and make this place better." But Thursday was just as much a call to action as it was a victory lap. UNM's athletic department will soon be tasked with distributing an estimated $20.5 million among its student athletes, Lovo said, and will be accountable for around $5 million in Name, Image and Likeness, or NIL, back pay to former Lobos. That's all on top of regular difficulties brought on by the transfer portal, NIL deals and the fact that UNM's annual athletic budget ($47,763,222) is currently second-to-last in the Mountain West; only San Jose State's budget ($44,546,781) is lower while San Diego State ($103,930,691) boasts the highest in the league. While Lovo acknowledged the challenges posed by balancing new costs, he said he was confident more on-field successes will come. "When we unite as a university athletic department and business community, we create endless possibilities for success," Lovo said. "By supporting one another and working towards a shared vision, we will achieve all of our dreams and aspirations. The future is bright for local athletics and this business community. "Together, there is nothing that we can't accomplish."
