Battle of the Clone: Voice actors win court battle against AI voice cloning startup

A federal judge in New York has allowed a lawsuit from voice-over artists Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage to proceed against AI voice startup Lovo Inc., which allegedly used their voices without permission to create AI voice clones. The decision marks a significant development in the growing wave of litigation against AI companies over unauthorized use of creative work, potentially setting precedent for how courts handle voice rights in the age of artificial intelligence.

What you should know: The judge dismissed federal copyright claims for the voices themselves but allowed breach of contract and deceptive business practices claims to move forward.

• Claims that the voices were improperly used as part of AI training data will also proceed, giving the artists multiple legal pathways to pursue their case.
• California-based Lovo Inc. had requested the case be dismissed entirely but has not responded to requests for comment.

How the alleged scheme worked: The couple claims they were separately approached by anonymous Lovo employees through freelance marketplace Fiverr for voice-over work under false pretenses.

• Lehrman was paid $1,200 and Sage received $800 for what they were told would be used for “academic research purposes only” and “test scripts for radio ads” respectively.
• The anonymous client assured them the voice-overs would “not be disclosed externally and will only be consumed internally.”

The discovery: Months later, the couple discovered their voices while listening to a podcast about AI’s impact on Hollywood.

• “We needed to pull the car over,” Lehrman told the BBC. “The irony that AI is coming for the entertainment industry, and here is my voice talking about the potential destruction of the industry, was really quite shocking.”
• Upon investigation, they found voices named “Kyle Snow” and “Sally Coleman” available to paid Lovo subscribers, which they allege were clones of their voices.

What they found: The couple discovered their alleged voice clones being used across Lovo’s platform in various commercial applications.

• Sage’s alleged clone was voicing a fundraising video for the platform, while Lehrman’s had been used in an advertisement on the company’s YouTube page.
• Lovo eventually removed the voices, claiming both were “not popular on the platform.”

What they’re saying: The artists’ attorney Steve Cohen called the decision a “spectacular” victory for his clients.

• “I was confident a future jury will hold big tech accountable,” Cohen stated.
• Lawyers for Lovo had dismissed the artists’ allegations as a “kitchen sink approach,” arguing the claims failed to make an actionable case against the company.

The bigger picture: This case represents part of a broader legal challenge facing AI companies as artists increasingly sue over alleged misuse of their work to train AI models.

• The lawsuit was filed as a proposed class action in 2024, potentially opening the door for other voice artists to join similar claims.
• The case will now proceed in the US District Court in Manhattan, where it could help establish important precedents for voice rights in AI applications.