Voice actor alleges unconsented use of voice to train AI announcer
Voice actor Gayanne Potter claims Swedish technology firm ReadSpeaker used her voice to train the AI announcer Iona for ScotRail's train announcements without her consent or knowledge. Potter alleges she was told her voice recordings would be used for accessibility software, not commercial purposes, and has been supported by the Equity trade union in her complaint.
What happened
ReadSpeaker used voiceover artist Gayanne Potter's voice to train the AI announcer Iona without her permission. Potter completed work for ReadSpeaker during the Covid pandemic for accessibility and e-learning software, but claims she was not told her voice would be used for wider commercial purposes.
ScotRail deployed Iona on its trains to provide automated station announcements. Potter discovered the unconsented use when she heard the AI version of her voice and complained publicly in June, raising the issue with First Minister John Swinney and Transport Scotland.
Reported impact
Potter said she felt "violated" and "devastated" by the unconsented use. She stated: "My voice is my job" and expressed concern about competing with a robotic version of herself while trying to sustain a career in the creative industry.
Equity, a performing arts union, described the use as "extremely exploitative" for companies to commercialise voice recordings to create digital replicas from contracts that pre-dated generative AI or were not drafted explicitly for this purpose.
Index analysis
Potter's work contract with ReadSpeaker pre-dated modern voice cloning technology. Legal expert Jennifer Cass noted copyright protections extend to literary and artistic works but not to voice likeness, creating a gap in legal protection against unauthorized AI voice use.
ReadSpeaker stated it uses "authorised voice recordings" for its voices but has not clarified whether Potter's original contract explicitly permitted use for AI training. ReadSpeaker told Sky News it had "comprehensively addressed" Potter's concerns with her legal representative.
Governance controls
Potter said there was limited action she could take because her contracted work pre-dated modern voice cloning and because ReadSpeaker was based in Sweden. ScotRail subsequently replaced Iona with a new AI announcer based on the voice of Paisley-based employee Vannessa Sloan, who gave informed consent and recorded hundreds of words across 18 studio sessions.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.