NPR Host Sues Google Over NotebookLM Voice Resembling His Own
NPR host David Greene sued Google alleging its NotebookLM AI tool replicated his voice without consent or payment. Greene said the male podcast voice generated by the tool resembles his cadence, intonation, and speech patterns closely enough that friends and colleagues believed it was his voice.
What happened
In fall 2024, David Greene, an NPR host and political podcast host, was alerted by a former colleague that Google's NotebookLM tool generated a male podcast voice that sounded like his own. Greene listened to the NotebookLM tool and found the male voice resembled his cadence, intonation, and speech patterns, including occasional verbal tics he had worked to minimize.
As multiple friends, family members, and co-workers contacted Greene asking if the voice was his, he became convinced Google had replicated his voice without his permission or payment. Greene filed a lawsuit against Google alleging the company violated his rights by building a product that replicated his voice without consent, enabling users to generate speech in his likeness saying things he would never say.
Reported impact
Greene reported feeling disturbed upon discovering the voice resemblance, describing it as "eerie" and saying he was "completely freaked out" by hearing what he perceived as a replication of his own voice.
Index analysis
The case raises broader questions about the rights of human creators whose voices and words have been used to train AI language models without their knowledge or consent. The lawsuit addresses whether an AI-generated voice that closely resembles a real person's voice, intonation, and cadence constitutes a violation of that person's rights, and what remedies might apply.
Governance controls
Google stated that NotebookLM's male podcast voice has nothing to do with Greene. A Santa Clara County, California court may be asked to determine whether the voice resemblance is close enough that ordinary listeners would assume it is Greene's voice, and if so, what legal remedies apply.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.