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NPR Host Sues Google Over AI Voice Mimicry
16 Feb
Summary
- NPR's David Greene sues Google, claiming AI voice sounds like him.
- Greene cites cadence, intonation, and filler words resemblance.
- Google states the AI voice is from a hired professional actor.
David Greene, a familiar voice from NPR's "Morning Edition," has filed a lawsuit against Google. Greene alleges that the artificial intelligence-generated male voice used in Google's NotebookLM tool sounds remarkably like him.
He asserts that friends, family, and colleagues alerted him to the similarity. Greene believes the AI replicates his unique vocal patterns, including his speaking pace, tone, and even the use of filler words like "uh."
Greene, who also hosts the KCRW program "Left, Right, & Center," stated that his voice is fundamental to his identity. However, a Google representative told The Washington Post that the voice used in NotebookLM's Audio Overviews is based on a hired professional actor.
This situation echoes previous disputes concerning AI voices that resemble real individuals. Notably, OpenAI previously removed a ChatGPT voice after actress Scarlett Johansson raised concerns about it being an imitation of her own voice.
