Taylor Swift, Matthew McConaughey. Names, voices, faces and now registered trademarks. As deepfakes and AI-generated voice clones proliferate, some public figures are going on the legal offensive. A signal that reaches far beyond the entertainment world.
Today, AI can clone a voice in seconds from a short audio clip and generate a convincing image in just a few clicks. What was once the preserve of Hollywood studios is now accessible to anyone, from a simple browser. The question is no longer whether your digital identity can be stolen but when.
Taylor Swift, an unwilling guinea pig for generative AI
Non-consensual images go viral within hours
In January 2024, sexually explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift flooded social media. 47 million views in a matter of hours. The star had published nothing, approved nothing. Her digital double was spreading at algorithmic speed, with no way for her to intervene.
Nine months later: her image weaponised for political ends
Fake images depicted her endorsing a candidate in the US presidential election. The visuals were convincing, the message went viral. Donald Trump had shared some of these images on his own platforms. Taylor Swift responded publicly, describing the content as having reignited her fears about AI and disinformation. We covered this episode in detail at the time. (Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris amid AI concerns)
Matthew McConaughey leads the legal charge
“Alright, alright, alright” becomes a registered trademark
In January 2026, actor Matthew McConaughey made history. He filed an application with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office, the federal agency responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks) to protect his image, voice and signature expressions, including his iconic “Alright, alright, alright”.
A move that is as much activist as it is legal
His motivation, reported by the Wall Street Journal, is unambiguous: any use of his voice or image must require his explicit consent. He is calling for consent and authorship credit to become the norm in a world where AI is everywhere.
This goes beyond the traditional “right to one’s image”. It is an approach that protects all of a person’s attributes as one would protect a commercial brand: voice, tone, turns of phrase, characteristic expressions.
Taylor Swift: “Hey, it’s Taylor” becomes a registered trademark
Following McConaughey’s lead, and drawing on her own difficult experiences in 2024, Taylor Swift submitted two sound recordings to the USPTO, each beginning with “Hey, it’s Taylor”, alongside a photograph of herself on stage.
The goal is clear: to make any unauthorised AI use illegal, banning the creation of digital clones, preventing her photos from being used to train AI models, and blocking the use of her vocal identity without prior consent. This is no longer a reaction to a crisis. It is a preventive strategy, built as a legal firewall.
Why this is a turning point for everyone
These actions are not just about celebrities. They point to a reality that businesses, content creators and communications professionals must confront in a world where anything can be cloned, the question is no longer “if” it will happen to you, but “when”.
The phenomenon is not new. As early as 2023, Scarlett Johansson sued the app Lisa AI for creating an AI avatar in her likeness without her consent, for use in advertising. Tennessee has since passed the ELVIS Act, offering artists and musicians specific protection against unauthorised AI voice cloning, a first in the United States.
This movement signals a fundamental shift: digital identity has become an asset. An asset that can be copied, misappropriated, and monetised, without authorisation, without oversight, in a matter of seconds. Protection can no longer be purely reactive. It must be proactive.
From public figures to every organisation: content certification as the answer
What stars are doing today with the legal tools at their disposal, every communications professional can do with content certification. The logic is the same: establish an irrefutable proof of anteriority, demonstrate authorship before content is misappropriated, and hold a legally admissible record in the event of identity theft.
In a world where anything can be faked, the only reliable proof of authenticity is technical and timestamped. Certified content guarantees that what bears your name genuinely comes from you. Uncertified content is an open door to fraud. Content certification is not a luxury reserved for global superstars. It is the new standard reflex for any organisation that communicates online.
