Taylor Swift files to trademark her voice and likeness in era of AI deepfakes

Culture & TrendsTaylor Swift files to trademark her voice and likeness in era of AI deepfakesThe move comes months after actor Matthew McConaughey filed similar trademarks to protect his likeness against unauthorized replications.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleTaylor Swift files several trademarks to protect voice and likeness from misuse03:38Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 27, 2026, 3:36 PM EDTBy Angela YangTaylor Swift is taking new steps to protect her voice and likeness from AI misuse. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The global pop superstar on Friday filed trademark applications for two audio clips of her voice. In one, she says: “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift, and you can listen to my new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ on demand on Amazon Music Unlimited.”In the other, she says in a lower register: “Hey, it’s Taylor. My brand new album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is out on Oct. 3 and you can click to presave it so you can listen to it on Spotify.”Swift also filed for a third trademark to protect an image of her onstage, wearing one of her signature sparkly bodysuits and strumming a pink guitar.The Grammy winner has been the target of numerous deepfakes in recent years. Fake clips of her promoting a brand of cookware have tricked fans online, sexually suggestive deepfakes of her have gone viral on social media, and even President Donald Trump shared manipulated photos of her supporting his candidacy.Swift is one of many celebrities confronting the issue as AI content generation tools become ever more sophisticated, even as AI companies add guardrails to prevent harmful uses of their models.In January, Matthew McConaughey became the first A-lister to file a series of trademarks — including images, video and audio of himself — to protect his own likeness as AI-generated deepfakes become increasingly realistic and easy to create.AI experts...