MKBHD Criticizes “Scummy” Company Misusing AI Clone of His Voice for Advertising

Marques Brownlee, known as ‘MKBHD,’ has publicly criticized a “scummy”company for employing an AI-generated imitation of his voice in social media advertisements.

With the advent of generative AI technology in 2022, an increasing number of businesses have started utilizing this innovative tool to produce various forms of media, including videos and music.

AI-driven voice synthesizers are frequently utilized on social media platforms, often replicating the voices of well-known influencers or celebrities. A notable instance of this issue involves the late comedian Robin Williams, whose daughter vocally opposed the use of AI to recreate her father’s voice after it gained attention online following his passing.

On October 14, 2024, Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee took to Instagram to voice his concerns about a “shady”company misusing an AI-generated version of his voice.

In a statement shared on X, he remarked, “It’s alarming. There are companies that will openly use an AI clone of my voice for their promotions.”

He further expressed frustration, stating, “The only consequence they face is being labeled as a scummy, shady company willing to lower their standards to sell a product.”

It’s happening. There are real companies who will just use an AI-created rip of my voice to promote their stuff. And there’s really no repercussions for it other than being known as this scummy shady company that is willing to stoop that low to sell some product pic.twitter.com/Y12XGKNqFO

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) October 14, 2024

While not every social media platform has implemented mechanisms to report AI-generated voice content, YouTube introduced new policies in July aimed at tackling this issue.

The policy states, “If someone employs AI to modify or create synthetic content that resembles your voice or appearance, you can request its removal.” It specifies that to qualify for removal, the content must depict a realistically modified or synthetic portrayal of you.

This incident is not the first time Brownlee has addressed unauthorized use of his likeness by AI products. In February, he encountered an AI chatbot that falsely claimed to enable users to “chat with a YouTuber,”utilizing his name and image along with those of other creators like Cody Ko and FaZe Rug.

Expressing his discontent, Brownlee remarked, “There’s a random AI company falsely advertising an AI chatbot to interact with YouTubers and it’s terribly inaccurate. It spreads misinformation. They also didn’t obtain my consent to use my image, and I suspect others on this list were not approached either. Steer clear of this TRASH,” he asserted.

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