The emergence of sophisticated AI-driven voice cloning has foregrounded urgent legal and ethical questions about protecting vocal identity. Spurred by recent controversies, notably the apparent resemblance between OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o voice and Scarlett Johansson’s voice, this seminar investigates how generative AI technologies threaten the distinct value of the human voice and further complicate questions of personal identity. Through a comparative analysis, the presenters will evaluate three principal legal frameworks: the right of publicity, personality rights, and the right to personal data protection. Each framework—rooted in different legal traditions—offers distinctive strengths and limitations in addressing the risks posed by AI-generated voice cloning. By examining these doctrines’ scope, remedies, and posthumous protections, the seminar aims to provide a foundation for understanding how existing legal approaches may be applied to the evolving challenges of vocal identity in the era of generative AI.

About the Speakers:

Prof. Jyh-An Lee is Professor and the founding Executive Director of the Centre for Legal Innovation and Digital Society (CLINDS) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law. He has been featured on ABC News, BBC News, Bloomberg News, Financial Times, Fortune, and South China Morning Post as an expert on intellectual property and technology law. Professor’s works have been cited by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the UK High Court of Justice, the US Copyright Office, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the US International Trade Commission, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and the WTO dispute-settlement panel.

Ms. Xuan Sun is a PhD candidate at CUHK LAW.

The Law Society of Hong Kong has awarded this seminar 1 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) point.