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'I've been turned into an AI train announcer - and no one told me'
Gayanne Potter is one of Britain's most recognisable voices - behind adverts for the likes of Estee Lauder, Apple, LBC radio, and B&Q.
Now, an artificial intelligence (AI) version of her voice is being used on Scotland's nationalised train network, ScotRail. But the professional voiceover artist says she had no idea she had been transformed into a robot until a friend called her last week.
"I was devastated, I was furious, I feel completely violated," she told Sky News. "My voice is my job, and I should be allowed to know who I am working with and what I am working on." Ms Potter, who lives on the outskirts of Edinburgh, believes the incident can be traced back to a job she completed during the COVID pandemic with Swedish company ReadSpeaker, where she recorded scripts for the visually impaired.
Ms Potter alleges she was unaware the contract allowed her voice to be sold as part of AI years later. Sky News has seen correspondence where the company appeared to reassure Ms Potter's agents they "would never sell them (the recordings) to anybody else".
Responding to concerns, ReadSpeaker insisted there was a "very clear contract" that allows it to "use... synthesised voices for businesses and organisations".
ScotRail unveiled its new AI announcer, nicknamed "Iona.
Amir Nisi
Creative and experienced content writer with 6+ years of experience lazy to create unique content strategy for News5 to turn website visitors into customers.
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