Italian Prime Minister Meloni applies for EU trademark for her voice to counter AI deepfakes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office to register her voice as a trademark, to guard against AI-generated deepfakes. The application includes a four-second recording of her repeating "Io sono Giorgia Meloni" (I am Giorgia Meloni) in Italian. The move comes as governments, regulators and public figures grapple with AI tools that can convincingly replicate voices and images. Meloni has in recent years repeatedly encountered fake images circulated as real content, and she has warned that deepfakes can deceive, manipulate and harm anyone. Italian media reported that even if the application is approved, the trademark would not automatically stop AI from imitating her voice, but could serve as an additional legal tool.