Journalists Sue Microsoft, Nvidia Over Alleged AI Voiceprint Misuse
Seven Illinois media professionals sued Microsoft and Nvidia for allegedly using their voiceprints without consent to train AI models.
Why it matters: The lawsuits challenge how tech giants collect and use biometric data for AI, testing compliance with Illinois' strict privacy laws. Outcomes could shape legal exposure and compliance standards for AI and biometric data use nationwide.
- Seven plaintiffs—journalists, narrators, podcasters—filed on May 12, 2026, in federal court in Illinois.
- Plaintiffs allege Microsoft and Nvidia violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by collecting voiceprints without consent.
- AI products at issue include Microsoft's Copilot, Nvidia's Canary, and Parakeet models, used for professional narration and dubbing.
- Plaintiffs seek damages, profits obtained from alleged misuse, and an injunction to halt unauthorized voice data collection.
Seven Illinois professionals, including Pulitzer finalists and Emmy Award winners, filed lawsuits against Microsoft and Nvidia on May 12, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The plaintiffs claim the tech giants collected and used their unique voiceprints—personal biometric data—without consent to train AI voice synthesis models, allegedly violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
- The lawsuits assert that the companies' voice-based AI products—like Microsoft's Copilot and Nvidia's Canary and Parakeet—benefited from this unauthorized data. These tools are marketed for high-quality studio narration and dubbing uses.
- Under BIPA, written notice and informed consent are required before collecting or using biometric data, including voiceprints. Plaintiffs allege neither was obtained: "None of them was told that their voice was being used to train Nvidia’s commercial voice AI. None of them was asked. None of them consented," said Ross Kimbarovsky, their attorney.
- The legal actions demand statutory and actual damages, disgorgement of profits derived from using their data, and a court order preventing further unauthorized use. Plaintiffs also seek transparency—identifying all sources of voice training data—and destruction of unlawfully collected voiceprints.
- Kimbarovsky argued, "Microsoft chose speed and scale over compliance. That was not an oversight. It was a business decision."
The cases arrive as scrutiny intensifies over how AI systems are built and the extent of tech companies’ legal obligations regarding personal data, especially under stringent state privacy laws like BIPA. The outcome may set a significant precedent for AI and privacy law intersections.
By the numbers:
- 7 — Number of Illinois professionals suing Microsoft and Nvidia
- $281.7B — Microsoft’s annual revenue, highlighting resources at stake
- 1 — Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, key legal standard for biometric consent
Yes, but: Specific details on Microsoft’s and Nvidia’s methods for obtaining the voiceprints—and their responses to the allegations—are not public.