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- Correspondence between Gayanne Potter and ReadSpeaker, reviewed by SkyNews, shows that the company claims that a « very clear contract » allows it to use synthesized voices to work with companies and organizations. However, the actress never anticipated that her voice would be used in such circumstances.
While reading a BBC article, Gayanne Potter, a British voice-over actress, was shocked to discover that her voice was being used by an artificial intelligence (AI) to make announcements in stations for the Scottish railway company ScotRail. Without her consent, this situation stems from a previous contract with ReadSpeaker, a Swedish company. The AI, embodied under the name Iona, caused an uproar, illustrating the issues surrounding the use of synthetic voices and the rights of voice-over professionals. Gayanne Potter, a voice-over actress, was shocked to discover that her voice was being used by an artificial intelligence (AI) created by ReadSpeaker to make railway announcements in Scotland. The actress had not given her permission for such use, especially after initially recording texts for the visually impaired in 2021. Unfortunately, she found herself competing with a robotic version of herself, raising many questions about the use of voices in the digital age. Unexpected discovery via an online articleIt was while reading a BBC article that Gayanne Potter had a devastating revelation. Without any warning, she learned that the Scottish railway company ScotRail was using her voice for station communications, but it wasn’t a live recording. Instead, the voice heard was generated by an artificial intelligence system, which left the actress deeply troubled. Understanding the origin of the problem In 2021, during the Covid period, Gayanne Potter signed a contract with the Swedish company ReadSpeaker. This contract was for the recording of spoken texts for the visually impaired. However, she was unaware that these recordings would be used to train artificial intelligence. . Designated « Iona » by ReadSpeaker, this synthetic voice was no longer content to serve its original purpose. « Iona » has a dynamic visual personality: a young, red-haired woman with a dreamy appearance, seemingly contemplating blurred Scottish landscapes. This digital creation is ReadSpeaker’s latest development in the field of artificial intelligence-based synthetic voices.
Implications for Voice ProfessionalsIn direct competition with her own synthetic voice, Gayanne Potter is, unsurprisingly, dismayed. She expressed her frustration to the BBC, highlighting how difficult it is for artists in the creative industry to maintain their careers. Competing with a robotic copy of herself only compounded her concerns. These events raise questions about the ethics of using human voices in the development of artificial intelligence technologies. To what extent do the initial agreements allow for such expanded use? Legal Actions and Corporate Reactions Faced with this situation, Gayanne Potter turned to her lawyers and sought legal assistance to challenge ScotRail’s use of her voice. For its part, ScotRail remains steadfast, maintaining that it will continue to use « Iona » despite repeated criticism from passengers, who consider her voice « too robotic. »
Correspondence between Gayanne Potter and ReadSpeaker, reviewed by SkyNews, shows that the company claims that a « very clear contract » allows it to use synthesized voices to work with companies and organizations. However, the actress never anticipated that her voice would be used in such circumstances.
This case symbolizes the modern challenges faced by voice actors as Artificial intelligence technologies continue to expand and redefine the boundaries between human work and digital creations.
