I am Giorgia” / Meloni registers her voice to protect herself from AI-generated deepfakes

Giorgia Meloni has registered her voice with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), Palazzo Chigi announced. With this step, the Italian prime minister aims to protect her voice from imitation and fraudulent use carried out with artificial intelligence.

Registration as a sound mark grants the exclusive right to use the voice in all 27 EU member states. The measure is intended to prevent the fraudulent exploitation of Meloni’s voice for economic, political or diplomatic purposes.

Meloni highlighted the risk of deepfakes last May, after a manipulated photograph circulated on social media showing her in underwear, with the aim of discrediting her. “Deepfakes are a dangerous tool because they can deceive, manipulate and target anyone. I can protect myself. Many others cannot,” she warned.

The prime minister has faced digital manipulation before. Five years ago, her face was used in a pornographic video, while last July, an AI-generated piece portrayed her as a character from ancient Rome, with opposition leaders being thrown to the lions.

Italy has meanwhile strengthened its legal framework against abuses involving artificial intelligence. The framework law adopted in 2025 defines the fraudulent distribution of deepfake material as a criminal offense, as well as the use of AI in a way that compromises people’s security or integrity.

Manipulating content through artificial intelligence, when reality is distorted and citizens’ trust is undermined, carries a prison sentence of between one and five years.

At the same time, Parliament is considering another bill aimed at providing broader protection for personal identity from artificial intelligence technologies, with particular attention to deepfakes.