Meghan Trainor’s will ensures her voice can’t be used by ‘spooky’ technology after her death
By
Larry Fink Fox News
Published
April 19, 2024 2:00am EDT
Trainor has AI clause in her will
Meghan Trainor speaks with Fox News Digital about her AI concerns, revealing she has a clause in her will to prevent her voice from being used after she’s gone.
Meghan Trainor is one of many stars wary of artificial intelligence.
Earlier this month at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Trainor shared her thoughts on the technology with Fox News Digital.
“Sometimes I love it, sometimes I’m scared,” she said. “I don’t know a lot about it.”
The thought of her voice being used without her knowledge was definitely a big concern.
Meghan Trainor told Fox News Digital that she now has a clause in her will that her voice can’t be used for AI. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)
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“I’m like, ‘Wait, they can make me say and sing things that I didn’t do?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah.’ That’s spooky.”
She added, “So, it is in my will now; you can’t use my voice.”
WATCH: Meghan Trainor has an AI clause in her will
Trainor is one of many celebrities looking to control their voice and likeness not only throughout their careers but even after they are gone.
According to The Guardian, sometime before his death in 2014, the late Robin Williams included a clause in his will that restricts the use of his image for 25 years after his death.
The late Robin Williams reportedly has a stipulation in his will preventing his likeness from being used for 25 years after his death. (Albert Chau/FilmMagic)
Williams’ daughter, Zelda, spoke out against the technology last year after hearing someone use it to recreate her father’s voice, calling it “personally disturbing.”
“This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real. I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings. Living actors deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their HUMAN effort and time into the pursuit of performance,” she said on social media.
Some stars that have been long deceased are already having their likenesses used, with mixed reaction from fans.
Williams’ daughter, Zelda Williams, said on social media that she found people using AI to replicate her father’s voice to be “personally disturbing.” (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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In 2023, Paul McCartney told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” that there was a new final song from the Beatles in the works, made with the assistance of AI.
“When we came to make what will be the last Beatles record, it was a demo that John had – that we worked on, and we just finished it up – it’ll be released this year. We were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI so that then we could mix the record as you would normally do,” McCartney said.
After some backlash from fans, McCartney clarified that Lennon’s vocals were original and not generated by computer.
Paul McCartney came under fire from fans last year after he mentioned that AI was used to create a new final song from The Beatles. (Gotham/GC Images via Getty Images)
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“We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it,” he said on X, formerly Twitter. “Can’t say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years,” he assured angry fans.
The song, titled “Now and Then,” was released in October featuring Lennon’s vocals and guitar performed by George Harrison, recorded six years before his 2001 death.
McCartney and fellow surviving Beatle Ringo Starr released one final song from the band, “Now and Then,” using guitar from George Harrison and vocals from John Lennon that had been extracted via AI technology from old recordings, not newly generated. (George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)
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In a statement, McCartney said, “There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.”
Starr said, “It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out.”
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