David Attenborough 'profoundly disturbed' by AI mimicking his voice

[Garth Gator]

 

Sir David Attenborough has spoken out against the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence to clone his iconic voice, calling the practice "profoundly" discomfiting. The issue came to light when a BBC segment revealed AI-generated versions of the 98-year-old natural historian’s voice being used online, narrating everything from the Ukraine-Russia conflict to political commentary on Donald Trump’s actions.

 

Attenborough’s disapproval stems from the misuse of his voice—a voice that has been synonymous with authenticity and truth in nature documentaries for decades.

 

He stated, "Having spent a lifetime trying to speak what I believe to be the truth, I am profoundly disturbed to find these days my identity is being stolen by others and greatly object to them using it to say whatever they wish." For someone whose words have been carefully chosen to inspire wonder and responsibility for the natural world, it’s not hard to see why the thought of his voice endorsing messages he never intended is troubling.

 

 

In an effort to raise awareness, the BBC aired an interesting experiment, playing Attenborough's official narration from his latest series, Asia, followed by an AI-generated version of the same passage. The intent was to challenge viewers to spot the difference, highlighting just how realistic these AI clones can be. It was especially unsettling for those who had previously noticed something unusual in the original narration, as it had led to speculation that AI was already involved—a claim the BBC has refuted.

 

As it becomes increasingly easy to replicate familiar voices, the potential for misuse grows, especially when those voices are trusted by millions.

 

Dr Jennifer Williams, an AI audio researcher at the University of Southampton, also expressed concern about the implications of voice cloning without consent. Speaking on the BBC broadcast, Dr Williams noted, “When you have a trusted voice like Sir David Attenborough who all around the world people recognize as an authority, as a voice of truth, and then to have words put in his mouth about war, politics and things that he has never said or may not ever endorse, is very concerning.” She emphasized that without proper regulatory frameworks, there are no safeguards to prevent AI from mimicking real individuals, which could easily lead to misinformation.


 

• https://parade.com/news/david-attenborough-issues-pointed-statement-profoundly-disturbing-ai-voice-clone 
• https://deadline.com/2024/11/david-attenborough-ai-voice-clone-disturbed-1236180013/ 
• https://variety.com/2024/digital/global/david-attenborough-ai-voice-replica-profoundly-disturbed-1236212952/ 
• https://futurism.com/the-byte/david-attenborough-ai-voice-clone 
• https://www.ign.com/articles/sir-david-attenborough-profoundly-disturbed-by-ai-clones-of-his-voice 

 

 

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