Chinese state media has emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) voice cloning technology poses a risk of undermining social trust and requires stricter regulation.

In a commentary released on August 17, Xinhua News Agency reported that "as AI voice cloning technology continues to advance and penetrates daily life alongside social media, the abuse of AI 'voice theft' is constantly emerging."

The commentary pointed out that "this not only exposes multiple security issues but also becomes a new method of fraud, bringing fresh challenges to social governance."

Xinhua explained that personal rights are being infringed upon as individuals' voices are collected without permission, trained into AI voice packs, and used in short videos or commercial advertisements, or even traded publicly.

In particular, it noted that there have been cases where elderly people fell victim to scamers mimicking the voices of their family members and wired away their retirement savings.

It also reported that online shopping and second-hand trading platforms easily offer AI cloning software, voice-changing tools, and customized voice services for just a few thousand to tens of thousands of won.

Xinhua emphasized that "the core reason for these successive disorders is that the cost of violating rights through AI voice theft is low, while protecting those rights is extremely difficult," adding that "if it becomes difficult to distinguish the authenticity of a voice, social trust will also be severely damaged."

It further argued that "platforms must upgrade voice forgery detection systems and eradicate illegal transactions involving the sale of voice models."

Additionally, it added, "at the judicial level, criteria for recognizing voice rights should be refined, and the costs of illegal acts such as rights infringement and fraud must be raised. At the regulatory level, AI training platforms should be required to review compliance regarding data origins."