Morgan Freeman on AI Voice Clones: Flattering, but ‘Stealing’ Without Permission

Morgan Freeman sees a difference between admiration for his distinctive voice and using AI to reproduce it without his permission. Speaking to ITV News, he put it plainly: “On the one hand, it’s pretty nice. On the other hand, it’s stealing. Get lawyers.” 4

Why Freeman objects to AI voice clones

Freeman’s objection is about consent and paid work, not simply whether a convincing imitation is possible. In a November 2025 interview with The Guardian, he said actors are paid for voice work and that using a synthetic imitation without involving him amounts to “robbing me.” He said his lawyers had been “very, very busy” with apparent unauthorized uses. Those remarks do not, by themselves, establish how many legal cases were filed or how any were resolved. 1149

He returned to the subject during a February 2026 appearance on CBS Mornings. Asked about AI imitations, he replied, “I’ve got lawyers,” and said they had been working to curb unauthorized uses. In the ITV interview, he also acknowledged a practical difficulty: finding out “where it originated” when a deepfake circulates. 841

Reports of these interviews show that Freeman’s objections span at least November 2025 to September 2026. They do not establish the starting date of a campaign lasting more than two years or document a specific compensation proposal. 1141

How he is putting his voice to work for the blues

Freeman’s other current voice project is one he has chosen to make. Ground Zero Blues Club, which he opened with partners in Clarksdale, Mississippi, gives blues musicians a platform in a region central to the music’s history. ITV traces the genre’s roots to the experiences of enslaved people and their descendants in the Deep South. 233

On Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience, Freeman serves as narrator and producer rather than a musical performer. The 12-track project combines blues performances with contributions from Britain’s Chineke! Orchestra and spans roughly a century of music, from Blind Willie Johnson’s 1927 “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” to “I Lied to You” from the 2025 film Sinners. 33133

The distinction running through both stories is who gets to decide how Freeman’s voice is used: he objects to unauthorized replicas while lending it deliberately to a project intended to keep blues history in the conversation. 111733