Last Updated:November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

Morgan Freeman condemns AI voice replication, stressing real actors’ value and SAG-AFTRA’s support, while rejecting AI characters like Tilly Norwood.

Morgan Freeman blasts AI voice clones.

Morgan Freeman has voiced strong objections to the growing use of artificial intelligence to replicate performers, making clear that he will not tolerate unauthorised copies of his signature sound. The actor addressed the issue during a recent conversation, where he criticised the use of AI-generated versions of his voice in projects he has never been involved with.

He expressed his frustration directly, telling The Guardian, “I’m a little PO’d, you know. I’m like any other actor: Don’t mimic me with falseness. I don’t appreciate it, and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you’re gonna do it without me, you’re robbing me.” While he did not identify specific instances, he suggested the problem is more widespread than many assume.

Freeman added that the situation has already required legal intervention, noting, “Well, I tell you, my lawyers have been very, very busy.” His comments reflect a larger concern within the entertainment industry, where the misuse of AI-generated voices has become a growing point of tension.

Long before his distinct narration style became globally recognised, Freeman spent years training his voice. He credited one of his early teachers, Robert Whitman, for helping him refine his technique, recalling the guidance he received as a young student: “If you’re going to speak, speak distinctly, hit your final consonants, and do exercises to lower your voice.” He said Whitman also taught him that many people keep their voices higher than necessary because they struggle to relax — a lesson that stayed with him throughout his career.

Freeman also weighed in on the industry’s debate around synthetic performers, referencing the recent controversy surrounding Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated character reportedly considered by agencies. He dismissed the idea that such digital creations could ever be a substitute for real actors, saying, “Nobody likes her because she is not real and that takes the part of a real person, so it is not going to work out very well in the movies or on television. The union’s job is to keep actors acting, so there’s going to be that conflict.”

SAG-AFTRA later issued its own clear stance on the matter, stating, “To be clear, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor, it is a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers – without permission or compensation.” The union added that such creations “have no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience.”