Actor Matthew McConaughey has taken the first step in protecting himself and his image from being misused and mistreated by artificial intelligence. As per The Wall Street Journal, the Texan star has trademarked several of his most famous phrases and lines, including the "alright, alright, alright" that was made popular when he delivered it in 1993's Dazed and Confused.
It's said that this trademarking effort has been taken in a bid for McConaughey to retain ownership over his own voice, likeness, and performance style, a rather bleak premise that shows just how much of an impact AI is having on the wider world.
As per the other things that were trademarked by McConaughey and his attorneys at Yorn Levine, there are some short videos that are being protected, seemingly as a preemptive move to defend against intrusive AI.
Speaking to WSJ, McConaughey explained why he has taken these measures, noting: "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."
The war on AI is particularly volatile in the world of entertainment, where we find the technology being used to replicate the likeness of stars and even create shoddy and obviously fake versions of existing projects. Even with the latest guidelines being set in place by SAG-AFTRA, clearly performers have to take additional steps in order to protect themselves from being misused and without their consent.