The Jewish community radio station in North London, KOL, and the Jewish Chronicle Newspaper both report that gay Jewish actor and comic genius Matt Lucas has warned of the creeping threat of Artificial Intelligence.

A host of well-known entertainers, including comedian Matt Lucas, have thrown their weight behind a new initiative seeking to prevent artificial intelligence from recreating people's voices without their permission.

The movement, named Save Our Voices Now, has gathered support from actors Hugh Bonneville, Nicola Coughlan and Luke Evans, among others. Its core aim is to ensure that emerging voice replication technology cannot be exploited for unethical purposes.

Lucas, famed for his roles in television comedies such as Little Britain and Come Fly With Me, as well as major film productions like Wonka and Gladiator II, is also known for lending his recognisable voice to animated releases including Gnomeo And Juliet and The Queen's Corgi. He also starred in LGBTQIA favourite sci fi show Doctor Who alongside Peter Capaldi's Doctor. Lucas is now backing a call for Andy Burnham to push forward legislation that would grant every individual in the UK legal rights over their own voice. The campaign additionally lends support to a Gov.uk petition seeking to establish voice ownership as a statutory entitlement.

Voice cloning works by feeding AI systems with audio recordings of a real person, allowing the technology to generate digital copies of their voice. According to reports, even a few seconds of audio can produce a basic replica, whereas more advanced versions may need several hours of recorded material.

Bonneville, best known for his role in Downton Abbey, stressed the personal importance of one's voice, remarking that it forms a fundamental part of a person's identity. He argued that this alone is reason enough to raise the issue and speak out.

Siobhan McSweeney, who appeared in Derry Girls and has also signed the campaign, expressed concern that existing legislation, contractual arrangements, working norms and protections for artists were not keeping up with the rapid progress of AI. She spoke positively about the possibility of collaborating with AI as a helpful instrument rather than allowing it to make human involvement redundant, adding that audiences remain drawn to authentic human interaction rather than artificial outputs.

Peter Caulfield, the founder of the campaign, described the unauthorised copying of voices as an immediate and serious danger, noting that individuals could find their voices used and misused without ever being informed. The campaign asserts that more than a quarter of British adults have encountered voice-cloning scams.

Alice Sockett, an audiobook narrator who co-founded the initiative, warned that the theft of voices is on the rise and characterised the advancing technology as a severe threat to the viability of her industry.

In response, a government representative acknowledged that while digital replicas could serve useful purposes, particularly within the creative sector, they also carried the potential for harm. The spokesperson pointed to a forthcoming consultation aimed at tackling these concerns while still permitting responsible innovation, and reiterated the government's commitment to safeguarding human creators.

The UK-based campaign arrives at a time when Denmark is introducing tighter rules to protect its citizens' faces, bodies and voices. Those measures would include the right to demand the removal of AI-generated content created without authorisation, as well as the ability to pursue compensation.