Voiceover artist accuses ScotRail of unauthorized AI voice use
Voiceover artist Gayanne Potter alleges that Swedish technology firm ReadSpeaker used recordings of her voice made in 2021 to train an AI voice called Iona without her permission, which ScotRail has now deployed as its train announcer. Potter says she was told the recordings would be used for accessibility and e-learning software, and claims ReadSpeaker and ScotRail are refusing to remove the AI voice despite her objections.
What happened
Voiceover artist Gayanne Potter said she made recordings for Swedish technology firm ReadSpeaker in 2021, which she was told would be used for accessibility and e-learning software. Two years later, she discovered the recordings had been used to train an AI voice called Iona, which is marketed as an imaginary Scottish character.
ScotRail recently introduced Iona as its new AI-generated announcement system to replace pre-recorded human announcers on some routes. Potter discovered the voice was being used by ScotRail after reading a BBC Scotland online story about the new announcer.
Reported impact
Potter said she feels "violated" by the use of her voice data without her knowledge or consent and does not have control over it. She described the AI version of her voice as "dreadful" in quality.
Potter said she approached ReadSpeaker and requested they cease using her data, offering to repay the minimal fee she received for the initial work to have the data deleted. ReadSpeaker's legal team refused and "shut down conversations," according to Potter.
Index analysis
Potter alleges the use of her voice data went beyond the scope of her original agreement with ReadSpeaker. She claims she was not informed about or asked to consent to the AI model's creation or deployment by ScotRail.
ReadSpeaker told BBC Scotland News it had already addressed Potter's concerns "several times" and says they have a contract to use her voice. ScotRail said it had no plans to remove Iona and characterized the dispute as being between the company and the voiceover artist.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.