Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has trademarked his image and voice – including his famous catchphrase: “All right, all right, all right” from the movie Dazed and Confused in an attempt to forestall unauthorised use by artificial intelligence.
The Wall Street Journal reported that McConaughey has had eight separate applications approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office in recent weeks, including film clips of the actor standing on a porch and sitting in front of a tree, and an audio clip of him saying: “All right, all right, all right”.
In a statement the actor said: “My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it’s because I approved and signed off on it. We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.”
AI-generated images of performers have become a key issue in the entertainment industry, with complaints over unauthorised use going back to at least 2023, when Tom Hanks warned fans that his likeness was appearing in a dental-plan ad without his cooperation or permission.
More recently the widespread use of digital body scans has sparked concerns over how the data will be used, with actor Olivia Williams calling for a “nudity rider” to prevent inappropriate exploitation. The current outrage over the manner in which X’s Grok generative AI chatbot has been used to produce non-consensual sexualised images is adding to the sense of crisis.
Along with fellow actor Michael Caine, McConaughey recently signed a deal with AI audio company ElevenLabs to create an AI-generated version of his voice on a Spanish-language translation of his newsletter Lyrics of Livin’. McConaughey is also an investor in ElevenLabs, which is valued at about $6.6bn.
McConaughey’s legal team say they do not have any specific complaints connected to the actor, but are aiming to establish more general protection. Jonathan Pollack, one of McConaughey’s lawyers, said: “In a world where we’re watching everybody scramble to figure out what to do about AI misuse, we have a tool now to stop someone in their tracks or take them to federal court.”
